


A lion awakens

by charliepoet13



Series: Feline Tendencies [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Loke going feral, Not Really Character Death, Self-Doubt, group support
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-09-23 03:38:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17072789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charliepoet13/pseuds/charliepoet13
Summary: Loke has fully accepted his feline nature thanks to his friends and loved ones, but when a harsh battle brings out his wild side, he must learn to cope with a darker side to him.





	1. Falling

**Author's Note:**

> This is technically a sequel to Feelin Feline, but if you want that universe to end there you can, this is just a story I needed out of my head and into the world.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loke falls from grace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is technically a sequel to Feelin Feline, but if you want that universe to end there you can, this is just a story I needed out of my head and into the world.

Not it couldn't be, not now, not to them, not to _her_

Loke woke up to destruction, the world bleached a dark gray, how could this have happened? He remembered getting hit by a spell, but he should have only been out for a minute at the most so how...

How were there bodies?

He pushed against gravity and weak knees to pull himself up to stand. But he still couldn't believe it. Team Natsu laid strewn across the ground, not moving, not stirring. Not even with the maniacal laughter he could hear vaguely in the background. He stumbled over to Gray, shaking the Ice mage fiercely, but there was no reaction. 

"Gray, come on, wake up!"

There was nothing, he seemed lifeless, no he was lifeless. Panicked he he checked each of his friends, getting the same reaction. The once loud and emotion driven team now cold and silent. It hit him the most when he got to her though. He fell to his knees as numbness consumed him. Lucy should never look so broken, it wasn't right, wasn't fair. He gently cradled her to his chest as the tears ran freely, crying and cursing his own inability to help and protect them all.

And some bastard was still laughing!

_Hurt them_

It called to him from deep within. A voice he had never heard before, yet felt right. It felt a part of him. He should ignore it, it seemed wild, a long hidden side, something that was meant to be suppressed. But he was grieving, his heart emptying onto Lucy's body. So he listened to its words.

_They have taken away a lion's pride_

The mangled forms of his friends all around him, his friends, his pride, he failed them.

_Kill as they have killed._

He should argue with that, argue against the dark feeling surging in his chest, but he couldn't find the energy, what was the point? Sure, he would probably be exiled for killing humans, but if it was to avenge her, could he really feel guilty about it? Could he really find it in himself to care anymore?

A rumble inside him agreed, they would all pay. A growl ripped from his throat, baring his fangs to the world. They would all pay, all enemies of Team Natsu would suffer his wrath.

The last thing he heard was the sound of an animalistic roar. Was that him? Before his world turned red and rage ruled his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow this got uploaded earlier with only half the chapter, sorry about that.


	2. A lion strikes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loke strikes back against his attackers, but is he too far gone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight warning for my first attempt at trying to write any kind of violence, i'm not that practiced at it.

The sky was still dark as Loke pulled himself upward, clouds threatening a coming storm were blocking out the sun. The animal in him ignored it as he looked around, eyes locking onto a group of men a little ways away. His ears perked as he heard the man closest to him, tall, lean yet scruffy, laugh. It was that infernal, obnoxious sound! He slowly prowled forward as they talked, all senses focused on his prey.

“...and that's all it took! They're subdued now ready to be good little-”

That was all he allowed the monster to say, before, with a loud growl, he lept at him. He could feel their surprise and it brought him a primal joy, hearing his choked gasps as his fingers, his claws, wrapped around his neck and slammed him to the floor. He leaned in close to the man, snarling menacingly.

_ It was him! He did this! Kill him first! _

Power flowed down his arm, to his hand, ready to strike, when his body tensed, he sensed a surge of magic beside him. He ducked down, moving to his hands and knees, now face to face with the soon to be dead man below him, as a wave of power washed over the top of him, hitting a tree nearby and exploding. He pushed himself up, now hovering over his prey, as he turned his head to face half a dozen other men. They were all ready to fight, to defend their leader, they would regret not running. He hissed, eyes narrowing, baring large fangs as a warning, leave or die. A hand shot up and appeared inches from his face, his foe was laughing again, magic pulled from the air around him to collect in his palm. 

“I don’t know how you woke up, but this time your- arghh”

That’s as far as he got, the idiot took too long to gloat and now paid the consequences. He quickly grabbed his outstretched hand with one of his own, pulling it taunt, keeping it straight. His other hand went to his elbow, pushing up against it. He felt a grin crawl across his face as he then pushed the arm downward, against the force on his elbow, hearing a satisfying snap as the man cried out. The power left him immediately, no longer able to focus on his magic, it left the air around him. It surprised him a little, he hadn’t realised it had hung around them like that. His friends were yelling, charging up more attacks at their bosses failure. He growled, standing up, leaving the man wailing on the ground, he would have to finish him off later. For now he charged toward his new foes, determined to get them away, to leave him to his revenge.

So blinded by his rage, he didn’t notice the clouds recede, a consequence of the heavy magic in the air, nor did he notice his friends stirring, finally opening their eyes.

 

She had been having such a wonderful dream, spending happy days with Fairytail, before writing home to her mother, who was alive and always responded to her. Her father was a kinder man, she felt loved by both her families, she felt warmth, she felt complete. So it was a shock to the system to wake up on cold, hard, dirt. Disorientated, her body didn’t want to move, it wanted to lay there and return to the dream, that had felt so real. She almost slipped back, but yells kept her awake. A guttural roar, that she swore was her lion, finally pulled her eyes open. She scanned the area, but laying on her back wasn’t giving her much of a view, the sounds of fighting coming from behind her. She let out a heavy groan as she turned over, her body screaming at her to just rest. She resisted and pushed herself onto her hands and knees, finally starting to push back the urge to sleep. She raised her head, wearily looking around before she spotted a man dragging himself along the ground. One arm was at an odd angle, so he could only pull himself along with one. What didn’t help his progress was that he would freeze every so often, as if he had been spotted by something, before continuing his mission. She almost yelled when she noticed the bodies  scattered around him, decorating the field. They were covered in deep scratches, bleeding a dark red, and the start of deep bruises littered their bodies. They were twitching, still alive, but most had been knocked out from the pain. Then, finally, she saw him, standing above a man screaming for mercy, her lovely lion. He looked like a stranger, his angry, cold expression was wrong on his face. His feral eyes no longer hidden by sunglasses, and his hair looked more like a wild mane. His hand glowed, as though he was about to call on Regulus’s power, but something was different, the light spiked and jumped around his hand. He pulled back his hand to strike and the light morphed, turning into sharp spikes on his hands, like claws. Suddenly, she didn’t want to believe it, but she understood where all those injuries had come from and why Loke’s newest victim was crying in fear.

“Loke...don’t!”

It was meant to be a yell, a scream, something to catch his attention, but it came out as more a scratchy whisper. She flinched at her own voice, by the stars she sounded awful. Thankfully though, it seemed the stars were watching out for them, since the spirit stopped dead in his tracks. The magic charged in his hand disappeared as he finally turned to look at her dead on. She was startled by his eyes, more cat like then she had ever seen them, filed with anger and hate, his whole body flinched when he finally took her in, tears welling up and falling down his face. Did he feel guilty? She needed to help him, she tried to get up but froze when she heard a loud snarl. She shuddered, feeling cold, when she noticed he hadn’t stopped glaring at her. He had seemed to come to a conclusion in his grief stricken mind as he started muttering about illusions. Did he not recognise her? She once more tried to find her voice, relieved when it wasn’t as gravely as before.

“Loke! Please, it’s me”

“My lioness...My Pride...wouldn’t wake up…won't ever wake up”

He was stalking toward her now, anger rolling off him in waves.The realisation struck her with a deep sadness, he thought they were gone, that she was a fake, an illusion. That villains magic had kept them in a warm fantasy, unresponsive to the outside world and her love had assumed the worst. A broken heart was a dangerous thing for any mortal, she had seen that with her own eyes when Natsu or Gray got out of control. But he was a spirit, whose mortal love had been taken from him too soon, she couldn’t fathom how he felt or what he was going through. She only knew she had to help him come around again. His anguished roar pierced through her thoughts as he charged at her. Every nerve in her body was telling her to get up and run, but she couldn't, she couldn't abandon him like this, force him to stay this way, never healing. She trusted him, trusted Loke would realise who she was. So she stood up, ready to stand her ground even if he reached her, and stare him down. Never letting her inner fear tremble her body.

Even as he got close enough she could see his sharpened fangs glistening in the sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I really have no excuse for how long I've taken to write something again, but work and life have kept me occupied. Still i'm back for now so there's that.


	3. The lion returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Lucy finally bring Loke back to his senses?

She stood her ground, even as he was right in front of her, bearing down on her. She closed her eyes as he lifted his hand ready to strike...but the hit never came. For a moment there was quiet, she was sure that maybe she had just been knocked unconscious, but then yells, both feral and not reached her ears. She slowly opened her eyes, saddened at what she saw. Natsu and Gray were on either side of Loke, holding him back by his arms as he struggled against them, doing his best to lash and kick out at his friends. His sharpened fangs snapped at anything that got too close, keeping them from closing in. Her spirit was wild, he was going to break out of their hold soon, especially if they were still feeling the after effects of that dark magic like she was, she had to do something, anything.

“Can’t you close his gate Lucy?”

She was startled by Erza’s voice, glancing at her friend, before focusing back on Loke. She could potentially close his gate, but sending him away like this, emotional and vulnerable, seemed wrong. She shook her head, not trusting herself not to vent at the requip mage, a part of her was worried about her disapproval, so she was relieved when Erza smiled briefly in understanding. She noticed Wendy appearing at her other side, looking half awake but willing to help.

“Ok, then what can we do?”

Back to her serious nature, Erza stared at Lucy, waiting for an answer. She didn’t appreciate the pressure they were putting on her but she could see why she was being hurried along, there was only so much that could be done before someone got hurt. Their friend’s yelling was doing nothing to soothe him, rather he just thrashed harder against them. He was like an enraged or startled cat...a cornered lion.It all became clear to her in one moment of understanding. He was fully a lion right now, it was the only thing that made sense, the way they were acting wasn’t going to help him. She had a crazy idea, a harmful one if it went wrong, but it was the only thing she could think of.

“We have to calm him down, let him go and back off”

“But Lucy-”

“Do it, only talk in a quiet voice, soothe him. Right now he’s...he’s not himself and I think we startled him”

Erza and Wendy shared a look, before they finally agreed to try it. She held her breath Erza called for Loke to be released. Natsu and Gray shared joint looks of confusion before trusting her judgement, they quickly let go and jumped back, dodging away from wild and unfocused attacks. Her spirit stumbled forward, not expecting the loss of resistance, his momentum pushing him forward. He snapped back up again, looking around quickly, eyes suspiciously inspecting everyone before finally landing back on her. He snarled at her once more, but some of the aggravation had died, whether that was because he was starting to regain control, or he was just tired, she wasn’t sure. She could understand his fatigue, the remnants of sleep and her bruises from the fight before the desperate magic was used, she could feel them try to pull her down. Regardless, she slowly put out her hand, palm flat toward him, doing her best to pose little threat.

“Loke, it’s me Lucy. I know I look a little ragged right now, we all do...but we’re all alive. We’re ok”

Disbelief flickered on his features, hinting at an inner debate, she needed to convince him. A small growl escaped him, hands raised in a silent threat but she didn’t back down, a small glance to the others confirmed they didn’t move to grab him again. His disbelief morphed to surprise at their reaction, had he been trying to pull them into a fight? Well they weren’t going to, love was a spirits power, so love and understanding would win the day. They watched as he finally straightened up, not relaxed, but not really looking for a fight. His eyes looked her over, she tried her best to smile, though she was sure it was wobbly, he couldn’t see her upset though. That could just set him off again. His hand moved out to touch her, before flinching back, her heart filled with pity for him,even though he could see her right there, a small part of him was still fighting the rising hope that started to fill the air around them.

“Lucy...you...you’re…”

“Yes Loke,i’m right here, we all are”

He glanced around, eyes landing on everyone in turn. The disbelief on his face slowly morphing into something she couldn’t quite place. His eyes were losing their cat-like edge, pupils becoming rounder and warmer, his posture was finally starting to relax, like he was slowly becoming more like his old self.

“Gray, Natsu, Erza, Wendy...you’re all…”

“Hey! Don’t forget us too!”

He jumped at Happy’s words, his attention drawn to the two Exceeds smiling up at him. Then, just like a switch had been turned off in him, his fire completely died out, shoulders slumping as he pulled her into him, desperately holding her close. A wave of happiness surged within her as she was finally able to hold him back, she had gotten through to him! The urge, the need, to protect him rose as his tears spilled onto her. She tried to pull back to wipe them away but his grip tightened, refusing to let her go or even move. She heard his silent pleas for comfort, so she rested her head on his shoulder as he clung to her.  

She caught Erza’s gaze, nodding in the direction of the men on the ground, they needed medical attention, she wasn’t going to allow any more guilt to be added onto Loke’s shoulders, and she had a slight feeling that they were going to be holding each other for a while. Erza dutifully led Team Natsu away, to give them some space, she gave orders while they rounded up the goons, though they didn’t really put up any resistance.

Meanwhile, they slipped to the floor, on their knees as Loke cried into her shoulder, tearfully starting to babble as he did.

“I didn’t know what the point was Lucy, to anything, if I lost you, so soon after finally being with you...I couldn’t deal with it...I...”

She started to rub circles into his back with one hand, trying her best to soothe his worries, to confirm she was there, as the other moved into his hair, she became his anchor as he calmed down, as all the primal rage and fight left him, leaving only his exhausted relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was interesting to write, I'm probably gonna write something fluffy to make myself feel nice.


	4. Taming a wild lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions are talked through and a tentative plan starts to emerge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update?! From me?! It's a miracle! I'm sorry, my conga line of illnesses left me unmotivated to write, but I seem to be back in the groove now so who knows?

The train ride back to Magnolia was getting too quiet to bear, apart from Wendy and Natsu's groaning, being a dragon slayer wasn't all amazing power and strength. Carla and Happy had tried to make small talk, but nothing was taking. Making the atmosphere more awkward was the celestial spirit at her side, who hadn't taken the news of what he had done well...to put it mildly. Usually he would be hugging her, if he was in a great mood, he may have even pulled her into his lap. Or hell, if he didn’t care what the strangers around him thought, he would sit or lay on her lap. But he looked sullen, facing the window in silence, the only thing he had said after recovering from his breakdown was that he wasn't leaving her just yet. Gray and Erza did not know how lucky they were that everyone couldn't fit on one set of seats, this was getting depressing. In an attempt get some air, she stood up, startling the exceeds and finally getting Loke to look over from the corner of his eye.

“I'm going to check out the food cart, anyone want anything?”

Natsu somehow managed to groaned louder.

“Don't talk about food” he didn't have the energy to lift his head and she could hear Wendy gagging in response “Pleeeaasse Lucy”

Wendy nodded her agreement, she was currently leaned back against her seat, looking paler than ever. Carla, ever sympathetic to Wendy’s plight, shook her head in a silent no, trying to bring the conversation to a quick end. Quick movement from Happy suggested he was about to loudly exclaim his opinion, but anything he had to add was stifled by a quick glare from the white exceed, her fur bristling slightly in warning. He wisely decided that food wasn’t worth trying to glue the feathers back onto his wings and shook his head at her too. All that was left was Loke, but would he want food? As a spirit he didn’t need it, even if he enjoyed what Earthland had to offer, it wasn’t necessary. She frowned, frustrated with herself, now she was just being a coward, making up excuses to not even try to break through the wall he had put up.

“Loke...do you want anything?”

This seemed to surprise him, he turned to look at her fully, staring at her for a few moments, before seemingly realising that yes, she was talking to him. Once the shock wore off he got up, stretching a little.

“I’m not in the mood for anything, but i’ll keep you company...if you don’t mind?”

He speaks! Hope springs once more. She grinned at him, gaining courage from the fact he was actually interacting with her.

“Of course I don’t! Let’s go, we can chat or something”

Not the strongest ending to a sentence, wasn’t she supposed to be a writer? Wasn’t she talking to her husband? But even caught in her own annoyance, she noticed a small ghost of a smile on Loke’s lips. Not wanting him to start second guessing his choice, she quickly walked away, heading to the next cart, correctly guessing that he would hasten to follow. So caught up in her own momentum she almost didn't catch him mutter.

“You could have said no you know?”

That caused her to pause, almost at the door. She looked up at him incredulously.

“What?”

“Well it’s almost like you're running away from me, shouldn’t we be walking together?”

Shi- is that what it looked like? Panic rose up, taking away the common sense to not flail like a suspicious person.

“No I'm not! Just really hungry that's all!”

The unimpressed silence was suffocating, he snorted as he made to go back, suddenly retreating.Why was he being so defensive? So quick to flee?

“Right, well enjoy your meal”

She lunged, grabbing his hand in her own. He wasn’t going anywhere, not if she had a say in it.

“Wait please, I was just...just so relieved you were talking to me again, I wanted to keep the good energy going but I got too caught up in it”

His frown deepened, scoffing in disbelief.

“Wait, so you actually wanted to spend time with me?”

“Yeah? Why wouldn't I? Loke I love you, we’re married for crying out loud”

His expression changed, confusion mirroring her own. Why would he think-

“But I…” he caught the eye of some passengers watching them and glared, making them turn away before sighing. “Nevermind, we shouldn't talk here, it's not important anyway”

 _Liar!_ Something was clearly bothering him and she wasn't about to let this go. Especially since it was clear to her what was eating him up, he needed to talk about this. She tugged on his hand, pulling him back the way they came.

“Lucy? What about-”

“Forget that. Come with me”

She walked past their seats, ignoring Carla, Happy and Loke's shared perplexed looks as she moved them deeper into the train. Now wasn’t the time for explanations, that would be in a minute, now was the time for action. For all his being a proud lion, Loke could actually be pretty skittish when cornered about his own emotions or thoughts, it was kinda cute, kinda annoying. She just didn’t want him to run away back to his world, she could lose him to his own negative thoughts if he did.

Opening a door near the back of he train, she peeked inside, spotting no one inside she pulled Loke in after her, closing the door behind him. Surrounding them was all the luggage of the passengers on the train, suitcases and bags organised and tagged appropriately. She could spot Fairytail things in a far corner, glad that they were all put together despite the separate seating, even though Erza had way overpacked again. It was a darkish room, only really needed enough light to spot all the bags, it definitely didn’t have the extravagant lighting of the passenger carts that’s for sure,if they stuck to a corner, she was positive they wouldn’t get caught. Loke didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm, he looked nervous, fidgeting slightly with his tie.

“Lucy, I don’t think we’re supposed to be in here”

“Exactly, so there will be no one in here to eavesdrop on us”

“But what if someone comes in?”

She shrugged, nonchalant, not really understanding his worries.

“Then you go back to the spirit world and let me take a scolding, it’s no biggie”

“Uh, Lucy that’s-”

She quickly raised a hand to quiet him, he really needed to learn there was no arguing against her when she was set on something.

“Nothing, that’s nothing. What is something however, is the fact you’ve been so quiet and mopey, what’s the matter?”

He looked stunned, mouth open before stuttering out a sentence.

“Really Lucy? What’s wrong? How about the fact I could have hurt you, really badly, yeah let’s start with that”

She bit her lip, she hadn’t wanted Loke to be in the dark about everything he did, but maybe she should have kept some of it a secret, well she can muse and regret over that later.

“Loke, you weren’t fully yourself-”

“But I was! It was the lion in me that did this! I knew I shouldn’t have opened up to anyone! I should ha-”

“Loke! Stop!”

His hands were in his hair, pulling like he was trying to hurt himself, the stress he had been holding in showing clearly now in his tense posture.

“What happened was unfortunate, but you’re not the first member of Fairytail to go berserk when someone they care about has been badly hurt… or when they’ve thought the worst.You won’t be the last either, we are quite the emotional guild you know. No one blames you for it”

His hands dropped from his hair, frustrated tears welling in his eyes as he choked on words, trying to push how he felt out.

“Lucy...what if it happens again? What if I go wild again?”

She shrugged, she had to give him that one, they got into danger all the time, she couldn’t stop him from being protective over her or angry if she got hurt. Stars know she’s ready to kill if someone abuses her spirits.

“Well, you already have gone a bit wild before, when we were fighting those bandits a few weeks back”

He nodded, the memories coming easily to him. She took a moment to compare the two fights, he was in complete control back then, which is probably why he remembered everything. but the stakes were much lower.

“Right, I was in control then,even if I did feel something primal within me, but what’s your point?”

“Well, I think it was down to the events of the fight. You admitted to me that it’s been a long time since you felt you were allowed to embrace your inner lion, so it’s been a long time since you’ve had anything close to the tight knit group, or pride, you have now.”

He snorted, having calmed down a little listening to her, a self-deprecating smile on his lips.

“Well when you put it that way Lucy, being Leo sounds miserable. I think I see what you’re getting at though. It has taken me so long to gain something this important to me, to gain friends so willing to accept me completely, that when I thought I had lost it, I flipped. Wow, I didn’t realise you were my therapist as well as my owner.”

She crossed her arms, a little upset with how annoying he was being, he knows she hated that word.

“I’m your friend, your wife, not your owner. Also hearing out people’s problems is what makes healthy and love filled relationships. As a spirit, you should know this. My point was that as long as it’s nothing life threatening, your wild side actually helps you fight, it’s like you’re finally letting all of your power free, instead of keeping it contained deep inside. Though I figure letting it all out for the first time in a stressful situation instead of a controlled one wasn’t ideal, that’s on me. I’m sorry, I was worried about this but did nothing to help you control it. But not anymore Loke, I’m not going to stand idly by while you suffer in silence, I’m going to do what I should have done and help you through this!”

She unfolded her arms, her hands reaching out to hold his, to let him know she was there.

“...Lucy you...you would do that for me?”

The disbelief on his face hurt her deep inside, unable to control her urges anymore, she held him close.

“Of course I will Loke, I encouraged you all those weeks ago to let yourself purr and I don’t regret it. So of course I will support you now. Together we are going to find a way to make sure you are always in complete control when you call on your lion powers. There’s no need to hide away from me, not that I would let you”

He chuckled and she felt such joy as it vibrated through the both of them. His arms came round to hold her.

“No, I have a suspicion, call it a hunch based on your previous actions, but I believe you would chase me to the end of the Spirit world, if you felt you had to.”

“Right! All in the name of knocking some sense back into that thick head of yours”

“Hey now, that’s uncalled for don’t you think?”

But he was laughing through his fake hurt, unable to keep up any pretence of anger. She joined him, relieved that he was finally relaxing once more.

“And to think,I was mulling over how to tell you I wasn’t going to be around for a while, geez how do you always know what I’m thinking and stop me before I do something dumb?”

“Because at this point I’m afraid I know you better than I know myself. If you had told me that you would have gotten a long scolding, you aren’t fleeing from me to push who you are away. We are not going back to the time before you were my spirit!”

She had enough of this idiot running away from her for one lifetime thank you very much! Thankfully he agreed with her, holding her hand and tugging on it slightly.

“Right, that would be quite the regression. I wasn’t comfortable doing that Lucy, but I would do anything to keep you safe. However, if you think that my feral side can still help protect you, then for now let’s do things your way. Now please, let’s get out of here, the last thing I want is for you to get into trouble for my sake.”

She nodded her agreement, grinning broadly at him, and let him guide her out, Her mind was currently lost in a whirlwind of plans and ideas, how in the world was she going to help her lion? She needed to come up with a plan to help reassure him and she felt she knew just the spirit to help her with this.


	5. The lioness's plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy finally puts her plan into motion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while, other stories, au ideas and life distracted me, but i'm back now!

After the train ride home and the fond farewells to her friends, Loke had walked her home. It felt so lovely to be arm in arm with him that she almost let him stay the night. It was their home, he was always welcome, but they both knew he needed to rest after the events of today, no matter how much he denied it. It was with great reluctance, and over exaggerated acting, that he finally left for the Spirit world. She waited for a moment, making sure he didn’t suddenly return, even after all these years, he was still a little unpredictable, before finally putting her plan into place. Well calling it a plan was very generous, but it was a start of a plan. A fledgling hope that she could help him and she would roll with it. She pulled a key from her belt, holding it high and feeling that familiar, warm magic surround her. A part of her would never let go of it, how safe her spirits made her feel. 

“I open the gate of the goat, Capricorn!”

There was a flash of gold, a surge of magical power, before he appeared. Dressed as sharply as ever in his suit and glasses, he bowed to her.

“How can I help you this late evening miss Lucy?”

She hummed in thought as he rose, standing straight once more, how was the best way to describe this? She didn’t want to be cruel or hurtful to Loke.

“Well actually, it’s not me I want you to help. Really it’s another spirit who needs you”

A small smile tugged at the goats lips, intrigued now by what his mistress had to say.

“I think I know where you’re going with this Miss Lucy, but please, do enlighten me so I’m certain.”

With his support she felt a lot calmer. Capricorn always did know how to relax her, many a night were spent with him just reading or meditating. Which leads her to her point.

“Well you see…The problem all started a few weeks ago really...”

 

It had taken her a while to explain, tripping over words and overthinking sentences, she just didn’t want to be unfair to Loke. This situation must be hard on him too and she didn’t want to present him in a negative light. Thankfully, Capricorn seemed to get the gist, in fact he caught on a bit too quickly for her liking. Either he already knew what was going on, or was a potential mind reader...she hoped he was just quick witted and left that thought train at it’s station.

“So, you see, I need a way to help him stay in control of himself. It’s not him tapping into his lion instincts that's the issue, I honestly think it will help him in the long run but...”

“But he will need to believe that first, if he does not believe his other side helps, he’ll just ignore what you say.”

“Right, he can be quite stubborn when his minds set on something”

“Of course,more importantly, he needs to regain his belief in himself”

She sighed deeply, slumping a little while staring up at him from where she sat on her bed.

“So you noticed that too? He always seemed so sure of himself, confident enough to stand at my side through anything, flirting with that stupid smirk all the while...to see him so shaken, it’s not right. It reminds me of how he was.”

Her thoughts turned sombre at that reminder, he seemingly used to be colder and more serious before he left Karen. Would he revert to that in the name of protecting her? Of acting like a weapon? He said he wouldn’t but, with how sensitive this was, one mistake could send him reeling back into himself. A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her spiral, she followed it as it retreated back to Capricorn’s side.

“Self esteem and belief can take anywhere from seconds to years to build up, then take a single moment to destroy it. It is unfortunate, but many, if not all, spirits have gone through something like this. I daresay plenty of humans have too. Spirits just need to recover faster, otherwise multiple bad moments can break us. Leo has bounced back before, I’m convinced he will again.”

She hummed in thought, they did live for a rather long time. If they let themselves focus too much on the past, it probably would destroy them. It also did almost seem to be a requirement to be in Fairytail to have some form of tragic background or heart shattering moment in your life. Comparing everyone's experiences it was strange that everyone in her guild wasn’t permanently holding on to some sort of emotional baggage, that they all were able to smile. Definitely something to be thankful for.

“Does all that include you?”

She startled herself with her bluntness, but he just smiled softly at her, patient and understanding as always. 

“Well it wasn’t my proudest moment when I was taken over by that foul wizard Zoldeo, nor the time when we all turned against you, Miss Lucy. I do not remember what I did during either of those times, but I do feel a great shame from them.”

His head lowered, hiding his expression and she inwardly swore. Guilt welled up in her, how had she not noticed? She swallowed it down, she had to focus on her spirits feelings, Capricorn wouldn’t want her to be sad over him.

“You never mentioned that...I could have talked it over with you-”

A shake of his head cut her off, he had more to say.

“While there are some humans and spirits who wear their hearts and emotions on their sleeves, like Natsu or Gemini. There are others, such as myself, who prefer a calmer approach to things. It’s not that I don’t feel emotions, because I certainly do, I just react to them in my own way. We all have different methods of dealing with things, I prefer self reflection and quiet self improvement, that’s how I keep my belief intact. I think our little sessions can help though, meditation and inner balance may help him find the answer he seeks.”

“It might...So your plan is to invite him to the next one? Is that ok? I know you like the one on one time, even if it is just helping me get stronger.”

He nodded, pleased by Lucy’s consideration. She noticed he stood a little straighter, prouder perhaps, she felt a bit happier just seeing the small change she can make. 

“Miss Lucy, if it helps our friend return to his old self again, then I absolutely don’t mind tutoring you both.”

“Tomorrow then! Let’s get this started right away!” 

A small laugh was his reply, clearly amused by her enthusiasm. 

“Sorry, it’s hard not to get caught up in your excitement, but let’s meet again tomorrow bright and early. Rest up, since with the both of us summoned that will be a lot of magic...Actually maybe we should get him to use his own power, it will only help in the training.”

Frowning slightly, she tossed the idea around in her head. It would make it so she wouldn’t run out of magical power or hurt herself, which would just set Loke further back. But she was aware that he needed time to rest first, today had hit him hard emotionally and physically.

“Maybe the day after tomorrow then, just to let him rest? He’s in no position right now to spend some hours here using only his own magic. I’ll call for you and I’m relying on you to drag him with you”

He bowed, partly to show her respect and his agreement, partly to hide his own growing grin. Leo was in for a whirlwind of trouble with this girl. Really, any of them were if they ever dared doubt themselves, it was refreshing to have someone who so stubbornly cared. Her and Leo were very much alike in that bull headed regard. 

“It will be done as you ask. I will stay close to him, but don’t worry, I won’t be too suspicious. We do visit each other when we can, so hopefully he just sees it as that. Maybe a chat will help him open up a bit more anyway”

“Perhaps?” Though, knowing him, he may talk about Capricorn’s poetry just to get the goat spirit rambling about that instead. He really was too prideful to let anyone see weakness. “Even if he doesn’t, a friendly voice always helps. Ok, i’ll see you soon, I’ve got to think over what I’m going to say to him”

In reality she just didn’t want him to be alone, she needed him to know that no one thought badly of him, that they were all still there. The sooner Capricorn got to him the better.

“Don’t think too hard. To reach a spirit, speaking with your heart might work a little more”

He disappeared to return once more to the spirit world. Yeah that was easy for him to say, she was the one who was going to have to convince Loke to actually go through with this. While she would speak from the heart, it couldn’t hurt to plan her words carefully, right?

 

The next day passed by so slowly, she tried to distract herself to let the time go by, but there was only so many times you could clean a house. Writing was no good either, she started coming up with a new story in which the protagonist struck a striking resemblance to a certain spirit. She wondered briefly if he would let her write a small fantasy story with him as a character, just for them of course...though if it was just for them...That train of thought had kept her blushing most of the day, she really wasn’t cut out to be as saucy as he was.

But finally it was time, Loke had been given a days rest, it was a beautiful sunny morning, time to get to work. After getting dressed into her usual white and blue shirt and skirt combo she raced out of her home. There was a lovely grassy plain near Fairytail, it gave those living in Fairy Hills something to look at, it would be the perfect relaxing place for this. She could feel herself getting excited as she ran, blood pumping with the thought of finally doing something. She let that exhilaration fuel her all the way to her destination, stopping once she was there just for a quick breather. Then, perhaps a bit too loud given her energy, she called on Capricorn. As expected he appeared in that lovely golden light, a startled Loke next to him. Wide eyed and confused at being basically pulled through his own gate. He shot a suspicious glance to the two of them as Capricorn spoke up.

“It is a pleasure to see you again Miss Lucy, I have also brought Leo along as requested”

Startled the lion spirit turned to her, eyebrows raised.

“Lucy? You could have just summoned me too you know?”

“But Loke, in order to make this last, we needed you to be using your own power. It will help you focus yourself”

“Make what last?”

He was starting to get frustrated in his confusion, agitated and twitchy. She shot a glare at Capricorn who looked back at her innocently.

“Did you explain nothing to him? Not even at least that I wanted to see him?”

“Oh do excuse me miss Lucy, but it did seem that you wanted to be the one to talk to him. What with all your careful planning”

If looks could kill she was pretty sure the satisfied looking goat would be dead. As it was, he was still breathing and she had an agitated cat to deal with.

“Right well you see, the thing is…” Why had her brain suddenly bailed on her? Suddenly her explanation for this whole thing had gone out the window. Well never let it be said she couldn’t improvise! “As I said, I want to help you, so I called in some extra help. Capricorn has had the greatest idea, I personally think it will really help” Oh no she was rambling.  _ Get to the point Lucy!  _  “If you join in on our training sessions we believe it will help you. He said something about inner balance and stuff but I think it will just help you accept-”

“Sure, I’ll do it”

Thank the stars he stopped the rambling....wait-

“...What?”

“I believe I told you that I was going to go along with whatever you came up with for the moment. As long as you genuinely believe this will help, I’ll try it. There was no need to pull me along, you really overthink things sometimes Lucy. It's sweet, but a little worrying.”

“Oh, right” A quiet chuckle in the background made her blush. Really now, had she summoned Capricorn or Gemini? That goat probably knew this was going to happen didn’t he? “Anyway, Capricorn will be tutoring us both, I will be right there alongside you”

“I’ve never really thought to ask, but what do you gain from meditation Lucy? You’re pretty cool and collected already”

_ Really? You could fool her. _

“You mean apart from the fact i’m supporting a close friend? This training has been helping me control and strengthen my magic. It’s helped me grow a lot actually, i’m not as strong as I’d like but i’m getting there”

A snort told her he disagreed immensely with that comment, leaning a little closer in to whisper in her ear.

“But Lucy, you’re as strong as you are amazing, and you are really amazing. Beautiful outside and in”

Embarrassed as she was by him, she pushed him away, flustered by his responding laughter. She was about to retort when a small cough caught both of their attentions.

“May I suggest you save the flirting for later? Preferably not while i’m trying to help you better yourselves?”

“But Capri, Lucy is my better self!”

She was pretty sure al three of them knew that made little to no sense, what was she going to do with this man? Giving in, and trying to ignore Loke’s victorious grin, she made to sit down, crossed legs, in a position that had become second nature at this point. Loke flopped down beside her, grinning as he moved into position.

“Did you really plan out how to talk to me? That’s so cute”

“Oh hush, I just didn’t want to upset you, now listen to Capricorn”

“Right, of course miss cutie”

 

He snickered at her pout, honestly she was adorable, but already his mind was focusing in on the goat spirit. If both he and Lucy thought this was going to work, he was more than willing to give it a shot.Though he harboured some doubts, could this really help him? Fear nagged at his brain, telling him he could never truly be fixed, he would be stuck fighting this forever. As if sensing his thoughts Capricorn clapped his hands together, making him jump slightly.

“Right, let’s begin then shall we?”

He frowned, eyebrows creasing a little in thought.

“What makes you think this will work exactly?”

He needed to know, he needed to have some hope this would work, just give him something to cling to. The other spirit hummed in careful thought before speaking.

“The problem is you’re worried about going wild again correct? Well we all know the cause. It’s because you spent so long separating the lion from the spirit. You dressed and acted human, pushing your more feline instincts deep down inside you. You learned to please, to be a tool more than a being. There’s no shame in tripping up this way, many spirits, myself included, have fallen into that trap. However, you were slowly starting to accept and bring them back thanks to Miss Lucy’s love, but you weren’t in the right position to have it all come out at once like that.”

“So you figure I was a ticking time bomb or something?”

“I did not say that my friend, but regardless of what I do think, what matters is that you look deep down inside yourself and try to reconcile the lion with the spirit. If you are able to fully accept who you are and control the magic that had been hidden away within you, then the problem is no more.That’s what this is for, it’s not to suppress or throw away, it’s to help you come to terms with you. That’s why I believe it will work.”

Astonished by the honesty of the answer, he immediately nodded, trust coming so easily to him. He was in good hands.

“Ok, let's begin. Lucy I want you to start your breathing exercises, before slowly starting to release your magic.”

His mistress nodded her head and closed her eyes, slowing her breathing and relaxing into a clearly well practiced ease. Just how long had the two of them been doing this anyway? A small ugly feeling shot through him, leaving him disgusted with himself. Not all of Lucy's time had to be his!  _I wouldn't mind if it was though._

“Loke, I want you to relax as well, but try to look deep inside yourself and find this lost magic.”

Well it was now or never, copying Lucy he shut his eyes, trusting his oldest friend to watch over them. He tried to empty his mind, to focus on himself but the very idea terrified him. He was a whirlwind of worries, what if he lost control? What if he hurt those trying to save him? Images of angry fangs and claws swirled round in his mind, sickening his stomach. What would he find in himself? As he started to shake he felt a calming power in the air. Lucy's magic was surrounding the both of them and he felt himself figuratively leaning into it, while also physically moving slightly closer to her. He felt wrapped up in a warm blanket, safe and loved. A hand was on his own, fingers lacing in his, resting on his lap. With her silent support, he finally emptied his mind. He fell down into himself, a long fall into his very being. He could feel Regulus pulsing inside him, ready to be called into action. There was something relieving about finding something so familiar. But there was something else inside him. If Regulus could be described as a soft hum, this was more a sharp buzz, louder and more erratic, that sparked upward through his veins. It rose up, ready to consume him in a loud roar. He snapped awake, breaking out of his trance. He gasped for breath, heart pounding so loudly in his ears. In his distress it took a moment to notice Lucy was in front of him, looking incredibly concerned. He looked around, orientating himself,  before finally looking down where their hands connected. He let out a small yell of surprise and let go when he noticed he had been squeezing her fingers. He had probably broken her out of her own training.

“Sorry Lucy, are you alright?

An eyebrow raised she grabbed his hands. 

“Am I ok? What about you?! You were hyperventilating”

Had he really gotten that worked up? Oh no, he couldn't let her worry over him.

“I'm alright Lucy. I just... don't think I'm ready to completely look at myself just yet. I'm sorry.”

She shook her head, moving back into her previous position, a hand returning to his as she smiled at him.

“It's ok Loke,intense pain is never healed in a day. Guilt can make it so much harder as well. This will take time, but every step is a step forward, even if it is a small one. I will be here with you through all the progress you make anyway. So take your time. It's not a race.”

Frustration boiled in him and he wanted to snap at her, he wanted to be better now, all this effort was doing was upsetting and troubling Lucy. But, in his heart of hearts he knew she was right. He wasn’t going to be able to find himself in just one day, but Lucy’s magic once more swirling around him, lifting him up out of his negative thoughts, gave him hope. He leaned against her, content to just surround himself in her soothing presence for today. He would try harder again tomorrow. He was going to push himself, for her sake as well as his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus Loke moves forward with his healing. I tell ya though I keep writing bits of the last chapter, that's not helping me brain! I know it eventually will but it really slowed progress down for this.


	6. The Lion and Lioness break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Overworking oneself causes more problems in the end, regardless of who you are.

After meeting up for days and days, and the consequential failures, the hopeful feeling was starting to burn out. It had been over two weeks of little to no progress and it was starting to eat him up. As he sat, crossed legs beside  her, he couldn’t even concentrate. Lucy’s magic was doing nothing to soothe him, he just felt inadequate when compared to her own personal growth. How could he show himself when there was no progress being made? He couldn’t relax enough to dive deep into himself and could feel his anger spiking, why was this so hard now? Well, he kinda knew the answer to that one. He sighed, shoulders slumping as he gave up, his mind too wired with self hate to even try. He felt Capricorn’s eyes on him and stiffened, expecting a lecture, but instead was pleasantly surprised.

“How about we finish up for today Lucy?”

The magic came to a complete halt, disappearing as she opened her eyes, confusion shown plainly on her face.

“Uh sure Capricorn, but why?”

“I think our friend here needs a long discussion with you”

Her concerned look was laid on him and really it was hard to say no when she looked so worried for him. But really Capricorn? Dumping him right into the deep end like this was a little rude don’t you think?

“What’s the matter Loke?...I’ve noticed you’ve been finding it hard to focus much, is something else on your mind?”

Oh, so it hadn’t been all that subtle anyway, damn it all. He couldn’t keep anything from Capricorn, but he at least didn’t want to worry Lucy!

“It’s nothing Lucy, nothing I can't work through anyway. I guess it’s just distracting me from these sessions, i’m sorry”

Sorry he was wasting her time anyway. As concerned as he was, he missed the shared look between Lucy and Capricorn, causing Lucy to stand.

“Ok Capricorn, we’re finished for today, thank you for helping us out. Do you mind if I have some private time with Loke?”

He felt the smirk crawl onto his face, honestly at this point flirting with Lucy came naturally, not that it helped when she actively teased him. He raised an eyebrow at her, standing to tower over her as Capricorn nodded his compliance, disappearing back into their world.

“Private quality time eh Lucy? Why you always know how to make a day more interesting.”

She groaned in feigned annoyance, before she grinned coyly.

“Suggesting that spending any time with me isn’t interesting, why Loke i’m insulted” Damn her and her immunity to flirting, it was rarer now that she blushed, which was a shame because she looked so cute, cheeks so kissable, he could just- “Besides I know you’re just deflecting, don’t change the topic Loke, we have something to talk about”

It was now his time to groan as she pushed him back a little, not giving into his manly charms in the slightest, getting married had really bolstered her own understanding of him, for better or worse.

“I told you Lucy, it’s nothing, something so small it’s really not worth bothering with”

He gently pushed her hand away, putting his own on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes. Inwardly he begged for her to listen to him, but this was Lucy, he should have known better. Her eyes searched his and she mustn’t have liked what she saw, frowning at him the way she was.

“But it’s bothering you isn’t it? Then it’s important and talking through it could help you”

It probably would, but he was more worried about her reaction, what she would think after he confessed the nightmare haunting him. He was trapped between focusing on his own healing and potentially scarring her.

“I just...I just don’t want to upset you Lucy, I’m worried my thoughts will scare or hurt you”

“Scare me? Loke... regardless of what we face, we face it together. So, please tell me”

She faced him so earnestly, that he relented, but he couldn't look her in the eye. Shame threatened to swallow him up as he spoke.

“I remember Lucy, I remember attacking you and the others”

“What? But…”

He finally rose his head, stomach lurching at the crestfallen expression on her face, stars did he feel sick. Still he could see her thought process and was quick to shut it down.

“It's not like back then Lucy! I was still…! There was no magic involved but my own. That was me, as such I remembered. It came to me little by little, helped I think by these sessions, flashes of anger, a burning hatred. I remember wanting them all to die. All those negative thoughts and emotions swirling around until they boiled over and I lashed out. Striking over and over, bearing down on them all with animalistic rage. I remember…I remember-” Bile rose up in his throat as he stumbled over his next words, memories of her causing him to pause. “Charging for you...thinking you were a fake, taunting me, wanting to get rid of you. Lucy I wanted to hurt you” He was shaking now, he couldn’t hide it, his descent into his own sadness made him ramble, and how he hated it. “I’m so sorry, but that’s not enough, how can it be? I betrayed you and what if that’s who I am? I’ve already betrayed an owner before, so what if...Deep down inside, i’m just a monster waiting for the right time to be let free? How can I focus on bringing it out and controlling it if that’s a possible consequence?”

He was staring at her rather helplessly now, baring out all his fear and anxiety, he realised now how deep he was in it. He really did need her help, he just hoped she saw fit to give him it, on top of everything else he was asking of her. Something was off about her expression, he watched as she schooled it into something more kind and comforting, but it nagged at him in the back of his mind. Was she ok? His brow furrowed as he moved to ask her, but she quickly interrupted him.

“I’m ok Loke, so please, don’t frown like that. Don’t worry about me.It was just a lot to take in”

“I-...Yeah I guess it would be, i’m sorry, really sorry”

“You don’t need to keep apologising Loke” She didn’t understand, how much his heart hurt for her, how much he wanted to take this all away. “You didn’t mean to strike me down and I believe you wouldn’t have charged at me if you had known it was me. Regardless of how feral you were, you would not have hurt me. You calmed right down when you realised we were alive didn’t you? You’re not a monster Loke, you just put all your heart into caring for friends and family, to the point where you would suffer for them. It’s a quality of yours I do admire, but wish you would tone down on. You don’t need to be self sacrificing when there's so many around you to support you”

How could she be so forgiving? How large was her heart anyway? How much more could she  possibly put up with, what was her breaking point? Her smile twitched, as if forced, and he painfully realised she might be closer to it than either of them suspect. He couldn’t allow that, he wouldn’t have her crumble too.

“No, I guess not. But can I have some time to myself? I need to think things over and how I want to progress from here. I think the time to relax will help refresh me and i’ll be able to tackle these sessions with a more open mind”

He was being formal he knew it, but he couldn’t push her further, she needed a break and she needed it now!  He knew dressing it up as being good for him would get her to agree, he supposed he should feel guilty for leading her like this, but her mental health was important too. He wasn’t surprised when, after thinking it over, she gave a curt nod in agreement.

“Ok, we’ll have a little break. How about we see how you are in seven days? A full week to relax should help”

Well a week for her anyway, but he wasn’t complaining. He really only wanted this time off for her anyway.

“Alright that’s settled then, please don’t miss me too much my love”

“You’re not going to visit?” That threw him for a loop, startled as he was he couldn’t get his brain to come up with a proper response. “I know we should rest but...that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t see each other. I do miss you you know”

And by all the stars in his constellation he missed her, when was the last time he had properly held her close? Just the idea of hugging her tightly had him wandering off into pleasant daydreams, his fear had left him touch starved, his hands twitching to touch her.. But he was being selfish, would time together help either of them, or make them worse right now?

“Lucy, I don’t know how great a conversationalist i’ll be-”

“Then we’ll just hold each other, give gentle kisses, stuff like that. If you want to chat about something that happened to you or something that interests you go ahead, but you wouldn’t have to...That house just feels empty without you constantly coming over”

He knew how she felt, the spirit world would never be the same to him now, how could it truly be home if she wasn’t there? It couldn’t hurt right? To just visit her? If he tried he was certain no worries could touch him, not when he was by her side.

“Ok i’ll come by in the afternoons and leave when you go to bed, or when you kick me out, whichever comes first”

“Thank you Loke, so much”

She surprised him again with a tight hug, pressing herself against him as she clung to him. A shudder ran through him as he felt finally at home. He couldn’t hold himself back and hugged her tightly, resting his head on her shoulder. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, both of them seemed to lose track of the time, before she finally pulled away from him. He let her go, albeit very reluctantly, he had been enjoying that. It had been a world of just them, the shadows no longer clouding his mind.

“I’ll see you later then Loke, I love you”

His heart sped up, beating wildly in his chest. It turns out if you don’t hear something like that in a while, you go crazy when you hear it once more. Affirmation of love does crazy things to a man's body, how was he still standing on such wobbly legs?

“I love you too Lucy, so much. I’ll come visit soon I promise”

She smiled at him up at him and he almost didn’t want to leave, but he needed to recharge mentally and physically. With one last bow to her, he opened his gate to leave.

Now to have a chat with a certain goat spirit.

  


The moment he was gone she deflated. It was getting harder and harder to smile, was it possible to be exhausted from just talking to someone? Listening to him talk about...what had happened, struck her much harder then she thought it would. She started the walk back to the guild as she stewed over her thoughts. His anguish and fear had struck a deep chord within her and she wasn’t sure she liked the emotions that were starting to bubble up inside her. Hopefully calm visits where they forget about all this for a while will make it go away, otherwise she might be in trouble. She was starting to fret over what she would do if she broke down in front of Loke, when she unceremoniously bumped into someone's chest.

“Lucy? Are you alright?”

She almost froze at that inquisitive voice, looking up at the calm, yet concerned face, of one Erza Scarlet. The requip mage crossed her arms, head tilted slightly as she waited for a response.

“Yeah, i’m just fine Erza-”

“You don’t need to lie to me” She was startled by the interruption, so much so that all she could do was let Erza talk. “Fairy Hills is a short walk away Lucy, i’ve seen you come and go, something's up with you. So please, tell me, you can’t hide away from your family you know?”

Her lip started to tremble, Erza was such a strong women and she was incredibly tempted to lean on her...well more like full on collapse at her feet, but she had more pride than that. Still, lying would get her nowhere, not with Erza, she would just have to reign in her emotions, easy right?

“I’m just helping Loke that’s all. We’re doing some meditation sessions to help him get more in control and lose his fear”

“That’s incredibly kind of you Lucy, but if that’s the truth, then why do you look so run down?”

Did she really look so bad? She had been trying to keep her exhaustion off her face but if it was this bad then...had she even really fooled Loke? Was that lion up to something? She couldn’t get distracted by him right now though, not while Erza was looking more and more ready to interrogate her. Her friends took this whole family thing a bit far sometimes.

“I guess i’ve not been sleeping as much, i’ve been so busy, but don’t worry i’ll get right on that”

She moved to walk past her, to end this conversation before it got dangerous, but Erza blocked her off, an intimidating human wall.

“Lucy, I want the whole truth, right now, or do I have to get the others involved?”

Well it could never be said that Erza didn’t care, she supposed she had no choice but to suck it up and explain herself.

“Well you see, Loke has been distracted these last few sessions, he went from making small steps to no progress at all. Today's session he didn’t even try, so Capricorn asked me to talk with him. I was on the verge of doing it myself anyway” She paused, was it a good idea to talk about this behind Loke’s back? It was his guilt not hers. Erza was incredibly understanding though so maybe… “And he admitted that he remembers everything”

If she was stunned by that knowledge, the requip mage thankfully didn’t show it on her face.

“Everything? As in-”

“Yeah. He described to me how angry he felt when he went feral, how he had wanted people to die, how he had just given in to that impulse and rage” She felt something wet on her cheeks and realised she had started to cry, her heart ached, but not just for him. “He remembered how he felt when he-” A sob racked through her body, making her hiccup. “When he attacked me Erza, he looked so solemn,so guilty. He kept apologising but when will he see it’s not his fault? I’m trying to be supportive for him, but it’s tearing me apart whenever he starts to hate himself. I’m not sure what to do”

Warm arms were around her in an instant and she collapsed against Erza’s hold. Ashamed of the hot tears trailing down her cheeks, but also somewhat relieved that this was all finally coming out, that it no longer dug painfully into her heart.

“I think a small break is in order Lucy, you’ve been pushing yourself too hard”

“We both have, he suggested a weeks break. He’s going to come visit but we’re just going to relax and laze about the house”

She caught the sound of Erza murmuring by her ear.

“...guess I gave him too little credit”

“What?”

She shook her head, leaning back and putting her hands on Lucy’s shoulders.

“It’s nothing, but still he shouldn’t have to force you to take care of yourself Lucy. Seriously the two of you focus so hard on the others feelings you forget about your own. You can't both keep swallowing your own pain, it’s going to lead to more problems down the road”

She frowned, sadness pushed away to be replaced by a white hot anger, defensive of herself and her choices.

“I can understand you being worried about Loke, he hides in his shell a bit too much, but what’s wrong with me focusing on him right now? He needs this”

A small smile was her response and she almost snapped at her friends understanding nature. What was wrong with her?

“Lucy, have you talked to anyone about how that event made you feel?”

A sharp shock went through her, shaking her right down to the bone. Tears sprung anew as her heart ached in response. No, she hadn’t, but why should that matter? Why did she feel so scared? She couldn’t stop her shaking as she numbly shook her head.

“Then tell me, we are alone, no one will know but me and you. Though please, when this is all said and done, tell Loke. It’s important the pair of you communicate ok? Keeping such strong feelings a secret will only hurt you in the end, trust me”

The sad smile looked wrong on Erza, such a strong women should never crumble, but that was wrong wasn’t it? Behind that impenetrable armour was a beating heart, it was selfish she knew, but she took some comfort in knowing she wasn’t the only one that breaks.

“I-I doubted him Erza” At her nod to say she was listening, it all spilled out of her. Every thought and emotion she tried to hold back spilled out of her like a tidal wave. “I wanted so badly to help him Erza I did, but seeing him charge at me...such hatred in his eyes, those fangs, his hands ready to strike me I- I was scared. I doubted him, believed he would strike me down, I flinched away from him, I didn’t stand my ground Erza, I let him down”

Arms were back around her, holding her tightly as she hiccuped and sobbed her way through her messy emotions.

“You did no such thing Lucy, we both know he would have wanted you to run, but you didn’t, you were brave enough to face him and talk him down”

“Only because you were all there, when I saw he was being held back I was so relieved, relieved! I was happy my husband was being pulled back like some wild animal. How is that right?”

“Lucy it’s normal to be relieved you weren’t hurt, it’s what happens after that, your choices after are the things that matter”

“You mean trembling so hard I don’t know how I was able to stand! I was such a coward! Barely able to do anything or get my thoughts in order.”

“Lucy, a coward would have fled the moment the battle got rough, a coward wouldn't have worked out how to help Loke.You were the one who asked he be let go”

“It was only winding him up! All the aggression and violence was making him worse! Love and compassion always wins when it comes to spirits”

“Would a coward have been able to give either?”

“I...I guess not, but it’s not as simple as that. I want to help him, but the thought of him actually bringing his feral side out makes me tremble, I’m not sure what to do”

“Take this break of yours, hang round with him, but not just on your own. Invite me, invite the others. I won’t tell them about today don’t worry, but it will help. It’s not just you and him Lucy, we were all there too and we all want to help. When you plan your next session, invite me along, I think it will work wonders for him and for you. If he does go feral, which he won’t because he can beat this, but if he does...Well we will be there won’t we? It won’t just be you on your own trying to face him. Also anytime you need to let it all out i’ll happily lend you an ear ok Lucy?  You can let go of some of the weight you were holding, let us carry it for a while.”

Suddenly she felt like a weight pressing down on her heart had vanished, she felt so free, much more than she had lately. Why had she tried to help a grieving friend all by herself? Was it guilt that had driven her? Shame at not being able to fully be there for him? Well no more! With her friends by her side it would only be love that pushed her forward, and if she needed some time for her she knew they would be there to pick up  her slack. Motivation and happiness surged through her, she almost laughed. Erza was right! Now Loke was going to see the strength and love his pride truly has! But first, she needed a hundred year nap and a hot drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both are struggling but they are now on the path to getting strong again!


	7. The Lion's Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loke's friends have his back and with some weight off his shoulders, progress is made.

He didn’t hear from Lucy all the following day, which was understandable, she probably had a lot to think about. But it was nearing the end of the second day and he was starting to regret his word vomit immensely. She had probably changed her mind after thinking it all over, he couldn’t begrudge her for that, it made sense. He was laying in bed, wondering how he was going to make this up to her, when he felt a familiar tug on his very being, her magic coaxing him closer as it opened his gate. He could never resist it’s pull and let it move him to his feet. Well, it was time to face the piper and see how it was really going to go from here. He gulped down his nerves, forcing a smile as he stepped through his gate.

He reappeared in Lucy’s home, but that wasn’t what caught him off guard. No what caused him to pause and not give any kind of greeting was that all of Team Natsu was currently in Lucy’s living room. His eyes scanned the room, looking for any hint as to why they were there too, before landing on Lucy, communicating his thoughts with a look. The soft smile he got in response soothed him a little but he could still feel his heartbeat starting to pick up.

“Loke, everyone wanted to see you again, the last time we were all together was...a while ago. So they asked if they could join our hangout.” She caught notice of his wariness, backing up a little, unsure of the large group of people in the room. “ They can leave if you prefer, this might have been too many at once”

A cough caught his attention, turning to Erza, who wore a sheepish smile, as if already apologising for something.

“I’m sorry Loke. It was my idea to have us visit, but maybe it should have been one at a time, I didn’t think to how this could overwhelm you.”

Overwhelmed? That would explain his shaking, he glared down at his own hands, annoyed at being betrayed this way. He loved these people and they loved him in return, so why couldn’t he calm down? Wendy, precious little Wendy, shot up quickly but didn’t come to his side.

“I’m sorry too Loke! I wanted to come see you but I didn’t want you to hyperventilate, I’ll leave!”

Leave? Maybe it was the guilty look on her face, Wendy cared a bit too much sometimes, or the way his friends were motioning to go but he snapped.

“No wait! I...I just need a moment, seeing you all here like this just...sparked something in me...Why are you here anyway? I figured after… after…”

The feeling like he was going to throw up returned, his stomach churned at the memory of lashing out at his friends, striking out to hurt those who were only trying to help him. He felt weak and dizzy at the thought and almost made to sit down, but no, not yet. He jumped when an arm was unceremoniously slung around his shoulders, before immediately tensing for an attack.

“Woah dude, calm down, it’s just me” Gray’s giant grin calmed him down immediately, it was hard to be too stressed with your best friend at your side. He relaxed, shoulders slumping as the tension left them. “We’re here to check up on you, usually whenever Lucy shows up at the guild you’re already tagging along beside her, or you show up eventually. It’s kinda funny actually, I know you’re a cat but i’m pretty sure you’re one of those people who would die without constant attention”

He glared at his so called friend, feeling absolutely betrayed, as he shook off his arm.

“Hey now, i’ll have you know I could survive just fine without other people-”

“Go one week without talking to Lucy then”

He was about to quickly comment how that was impossible when he caught the smug look on Gray’s face, that cheeky little- Geez leave it to his friends to not let up regardless of the situation, it was making him feel a little lighter actually, had he actually missed getting teased like this? His amused musings would have to wait though, since all of a sudden flame brain was standing right in his face.

“Right! You’re always at the guild, even after hitting me and claiming you’re Lucy’s spirit first” The mock glare was just more teasing and he was surprised Natsu could actually taunt him, and that he remembered such a small thing. “Yet all of a sudden you don’t show up anymore? That’s weird, even for you, so we’re here to check it out”

To his annoyance, Happy appeared at Natsu’s shoulder, giggling in agreement.

“Right! Usually we do big cat stuff together, when you’re not distracted by Lucy anyway. Weren’t you meant to be helping me? Natsu’s not exactly great at helping me grow up into a lion”

What did his friends think of him exactly? That he was there for their amusement? To only help them and not have his own life? He couldn’t help but be  a little sarcastic in return, a small part of him liked shooting the hothead down. The flying blue mini lion too. Oh stars Happy had gotten into his brain hadn’t he?

“Well excuse me for having a life Natsu, As I am Lucy’s incredibly lucky husband-” A small gasp from Lucy caught his attention for a moment, she was looking at him so relieved, openly happy. What was that about? Shaking his head, he returned to his train of thought before he lost it. “I go where she goes, which is usually the guild. I just haven’t felt like being out and about recently.”  

A raised eyebrow and silent glances between Natsu and Gray riled him up, did they not believe him? Well he supposed it wasn’t quite the whole truth, but he really didn’t want to enter that building right now.

“Loke, i’m your best friend, you’re going to have to lie better than that, what’s the real problem?”

The room was silent, waiting on him, a rising pressure placed onto his shoulders. He should tell them the truth right? Speaking to Lucy had helped a little bit, maybe this would remove the guilt from his heart? _But what if they admitted they were glad he was gone?_ No that didn’t make sense, they were here because they cared for him! Right?

“Loke, it’s ok, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Please don’t put so much pressure on yourself”

He looked down at Lucy, so kind and forgiving,all warm smiles and bright eyes. She was so patient and inviting. He felt his resolve crumble to dust as he moved away from Gray and Natsu, to collapse by her side on the couch.

“A little dramatic don’t you think?”

He ignored the comment and whoever made it, cuddling Lucy to his side and resting his head on hers. One arm wrapped around her back, the other around her stomach, holding her tightly in place, though he felt she wouldn’t move away from him anyway. As he breathed her in he made up his mind, he would absolutely tell them and prepare himself for any judgement that may come his way. Gosh he loved being by his wife’s side, she always cleared away any clouds forming around him. Though thinking about it, when was the last time he had referred to her as such?  He racked his brain, trying to remember when he was last overly affectionate with her.He inwardly cursed as he realised that in all of his worrying, about her and himself, he had neglected to hold her or give her any love at all. That would really have to change and soon. He straightened up on the couch to face his friends, hands moving to his lap, yet he still managed to find one of hers. Her hand laid out on his lap in a gentle encouragement and he squeezed it in thanks.

“The truth is, I don’t want to go back to the guild. No, before you ask, it’s nothing you all did, so please don’t yell about it” He had to shut down any arguments before they happened, Fairytail, especially this group, were known for yelling and talking over each other. He needed space to talk and think. He saw movement at the corner of his eyes and belatedly realised everyone was now sat down, he had missed his friends returning to their seats. Probably too caught up in Lucy. “It’s just I can't go to the guild right now, whenever I try I just stand there outside the door, remembering what I did to you all. How can I face you, or the guild, when I have hurt you all so soundly? I was just...worried I would be turned away I guess, even if I did deserve it”

There was a small snort,he looked up to see Gray looking bemused, defensiveness rose in him and he was about to snarl out a response when Erza interrupted him.

“Loke, you should know by now we don’t abandon family, spirit or human. You are a part of this guild and we will be there to help you up when you fall, to help you fix any mistakes you make.”

“Right, besides it’s not like you attacked Wendy, in fact you left her alone and didn’t harm a hair on her head. So what if you hurt those meatheads, I don’t really see an issue.”

The small white cat on Wendy’s lap had finally spoken up, and it was that. He could almost giggle, especially at the offronted look on Happy’s face.

“Wait now, you...you really forgive me? So easily?”

Energetic and understanding smiles were his response, as Natsu giggled slightly, mischief dancing in his eyes.

“Sure I forgive you! After all-” He shot a pointed look at Gray. “This isn’t the first time a good friend has tried to kill me in a murderous rage. With the way we work it probably won’t be the last!”

The glare the fire dragon slayer received in response was smothering, and yet he could feel a lightness rising in his chest.

“You’re never going to let that die are you flame brain?”

“It’ll die when I do freezer face”

He laughed, he couldn’t help it, he laughed boisterous and loud. He shook with mirth at his friends antics, but also in intense relief. All his guilt and worry had been for nothing, of course it had, these guys, his pride, would forgive anything, surely he should know that? His free hand covered his face to hide happy tears streaming down his cheeks. He felt Lucy let go of him, to firmly wrap her arms around his shoulders, tugging him to her. He eagerly let her pull him to her, his head resting snuggly on her neck, relishing in the love and comfort that surrounded him.

“Thank you, thank you so much”

Their tender hug, which his heart argued they both definitely needed more of, was interrupted by a weight on his head. Pulling back he noticed Happy flying beside him.

“Hey, we’re all here too, how about a group hug?!”

He snickered, unable to push back his giddiness at how they accepted him.

“Yeah sure, as long as you’re certain you won’t get crushed in the middle of it”

“You know, on second thought…”

That got everyone to join in his laughter and suddenly he was hit by the encouraging thought that he really wasn’t alone in this, not anymore.

 

The next week flew right on by, his friends kept to their word and stuck to him and Lucy like glue. While he would have liked some alone time with his wife, now that he was personally insulted by his lack of treating her, but he appreciated their sentiment. They had even managed to get a few small local jobs done, he was sure Lucy’s landlady would be happy about that. His share was stashed away with his other savings, his and Lucy’s next night out was going to be so romantic!

That was another thing, as the week came to an end he found himself less stressed, not as tense around everyone. He was actually starting to be excited about his future with Lucy again and planning all the things they had yet to do together.

Still, in the end, all that had been was a distraction, something to unwind and de-stress with, before they had to get right back to work. He needed to control his inner beast, he needed to make sure he could never be a threat to them, they were his goals and they were attainable.

So it was with a much clearer mind that he once more found himself outside Fairy hills, though with some added company. He just grinned at Erza as she stood bu Lucy, not really surprised by her presence.

“Care to join us Erza?”

“Thank you Loke, I’m glad I got your permission first”

The added eyeroll only accented her sarcasm, oh it was always fun when Erza was on the ball. If not a little painful at times. He rubbed his jaw slightly as he nodded to Lucy, ready to get started and forget the image of Erza beating him into the dust. He sat with Lucy to his right, with Erza taking her place at his left. It felt nice to be surrounded by two he held dear, but still…

“Erza I’m not taking you away from anything important am I? I know it sounds silly but I need to make sure everything's ok so it won’t distract me”

A groan to his right and a hand messing up his hair was Lucy’s not so subtle way of telling him to stop worrying, or at least he thought so anyway, maybe Lucy just liked her hands running through his hair. He was about to counterattack when Erza replied.

“You’re not bothering me Loke, this is good training for me too. A good swordswomen makes sure she knows her center, that her mind is unblemished by doubt. Any negative thoughts can shake a blade or make it dull in it’s users hands. Now as cute as you two acting like children is, shouldn’t we get on with this?”

“I couldn’t agree more”

He frowned up at Capricorn’s smug grin, unamused by this bullying going on. As a spirit that goat should know time with Lucy was precious, time spent in the best way possible. He would not take this assault against them having fun laying (or sitting) down! A hand clasped over his mouth, cutting off anything he was trying to say.

“Capri, if you keep winding him up we won’t ever start”

“Sorry my lady”

“Thank you, and Loke, don’t fall for their bait ok? Promise me you’ll focus”

They sat in silence, a beat before Lucy flustered, realising he couldn’t speak because her hand was still blocking him. As she pulled it back he captured it in his own, giving the back of her hand a small kiss.

“Ok Lucy, now there will be no more distractions”

His smirk was probably very punchable but he didn’t care. He released her hand and closed his eyes, concentrating on his breathing, on finding the power inside himself. Capricorn talking Erza through the motions becoming background noise as he lost focus on the outside world. It all floated away from him, the only thing registering was the slow build up of Lucy’s power, giving him strength and courage. He fell down back into himself into his power, past the familiar hum of Regulus, down until he reached that harsh crackle of power. It swarmed in his chest, surrounding him, it was up to him to let it take over. _Well, here goes nothing._ Taking a deep breath, he allowed that other self to rise up inside him, to become a part of him again. It surged through his veins like lightning, strengthening his power and changing him. He was only partially aware of his growing fangs, focused more on the dull throb inside his head, behind his eyes, itching his nose.

He opened his eyes to what could only be described as a sensory overload. The world seemed different, shaded in different colours, darting eyes picking up on the smallest movements. As strange as it was, that was the mildest change, he could hear them. Specifically he could hear everyone's breathing, his mind somehow now easily recognising the different intakes, labelling them as _pride and lioness_ . But his senses went beyond just the area around him now, he could hear all the animals in the undergrowth, all the rustling of tiny feet as they sped through the grass. He could practically taste the air, the wind bringing him the more subtle smells from the earth and the wildlife. He could feel his brain doing it’s best to process all this new information, _Small prey animals, Predators downwind, several songbirds, different flower scents,_ to catalogue all these new sounds and smells he wasn’t privy to mere seconds ago. All for his instincts to analyse, in the end deciding there was no threats. Which he had known already, but the assurance was nice.

His chest heaved as his eyes shut once more, pushing it back down, this was too much, too loud, all at once. It took a frightening moment in which he felt he had lost himself, before the throb vanished, his breathing calmed, the sounds quieting or disappearing altogether. When he opened his eyes again, the world looked normal, nothing was destroyed, a quick look confirmed his friends were ok, they were all fine. He hadn’t lost himself. The relief drained his energy, making him sag and fall back, he didn't hit the ground like he was expecting though. Instead he was caught by strong arms, arms that had always supported him. He managed a weak grin as he looked up at her.

“Thank you, my diamond”

She no longer flustered at the comparison, which was a shame, but the soft smile was it’s own reward. She  lowered him gently down onto her lap, before one hand found its way into his hair. Ah, if she could just keep that up forever that would be swell, please and thank you.

“You’ve done amazing today my lion, feel free to rest, we can stay here for a bit”

Yeah he had done well today hadn’t he? He had gone fully wild then, he was certain of it, but he had kept it under control. He had just sat there watching the world go by. It might take awhile to get used to his heightened senses but this was progress. He didn’t really feel as afraid anymore, of course there was still the risk that he would get overwhelmed, but with Lucy at his side, he was sure he could handle it.

“Thank you, thank you so much”

“You’re welcome silly, but it’s not over yet”

No, it wasn’t, next he had to be able to fully control it for more than a few seconds, but there was hope now, and that was enough at the moment. He needed to rest. The world around him faded to nothing, concentrated only on Lucy’s touch, he drifted off into the dark, appeased for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting near the end of this now, but I've really enjoyed this new experience.


	8. The wild lion returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loke and his feral nature finally fully become one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh they've all come such a long way, I'm so proud of these babies.

Over the following days, with the encouragement of herself and Erza, Loke made progress in leaps and bounds. It amazed her how he was able to hold on that little bit longer every time, despite his own fears. It also reminded her that she had her own worries to sort out though. She hadn’t actually been able to delve into her magical trance, instead waiting for Loke, waiting for the lion to come out. Even with Erza there, she found herself watching him, tense and ready to move at a moments notice. But the expected aggression never came. She slowly managed to calm down, convince herself she was being foolish, even as her nerves continued to shake. It all came to a head, everything she felt about him and his wild side, when a week later, he finally cracked it.

She had watched as he struggled with himself once more, trying to get used to all that new power, when he opened his eyes to reveal narrow, slitted pupils. A small glow encompassed him as his body changed slightly, he had fangs, wilder hair, potentially cat ears? She hadn’t checked. They were subtle unless you knew to look for them, unless they had haunted your nightmares. She froze when for once, he didn’t revert back, instead he turned to face her, grinning and showing off those sharp incisors. Was he in control? Or was he about to strike?! He shifted slightly and she shot up onto her feet, cowardly but she couldn’t stop herself, couldn’t stop this deep instinct to put distance between them. Erza slowly stood up on his other side, taking her lead. The other mage was there for reassurance, but wouldn’t actually act unless it was needed, which a part of her was thankful for. She wanted to move past her fear and this was the time to do it. Confused at what was going on, Loke stood up too, eyes darting between the two of them.

“Lucy? I did it! Aren’t...aren’t you happy?”

Happy? Probably. But it was buried under a myriad of conflicting emotions, she was excited for him to be able to tap into that new power, but she remembered quite vividly what those powers had already done.She must have taken too long to answer because his shoulders tensed, he pulled back, lowering himself slightly.

“You’re afraid of me”

It wasn’t an accusation,but she could see the hurt in his eyes.

“Loke I-”

“You don’t have to pretend you’re not. I can sense it, part of my new upgrade I guess.”

Oh right, animals can sense fear, shi- Well no time like the present to quickly get over this, lest she never sees her husband again. With a deep breath she took a slow step toward him, he moved to step back but she held out a hand, she needed to do this. After a long, tense, stare down, he slowly nodded and stayed perfectly still, even as she came to a stop right in front of him. His fingers twitched and fidgeted with his pants and she had to admire his self control. She gently reached forward and took one of his hands in her own, smiling softly at his relieved expression. She could feel his power flowing in his hands, dancing on his fingertips, ready to become light, to become claws. Images of men, scarred and bleeding, littering a battlefield, attacked her mind. She knew exactly what that power could do, what it could do to her. Her breathing quickened, _him running at her, swiping, landing the hit, he could-_

She felt his hand squeeze hers, causing her to look up at him, even as her ragged breathing continued. He tilted his head backwards, a silent question, asking if he should move, concern prevalent in his eyes. It was nothing like the anger and hatred from before, he would never turn those claws on her, right?

“You’re in control aren’t you?”

“Full control Lucy, i’m just more attuned to everyone and everything around me. There is a...I dunno how to describe it..kinda like a voice? It’s my more primal desires coming in to play and making themselves known, but I won’t lay a finger on you, I promise”

“May I...may I lay a finger on you?”

“Well we’re already holding hands, but go for it, you may do what you want to me. Nothing, not even the lion within me, will make me hurt or disobey you”

Emboldened by his words,she looked him up and down, trying to see if there were any other physical differences. There seemed to be plenty of sensory, and probably even subconscious, differences, but was his body really all that changed? Placing a hand on his chest she noticed how lean he was now, he wasn’t that big to begin with, but he seemed more... streamlined, for lack of a better word, like his chest muscles didn’t stick out quite so much. HIs legs and arms seemed sturdier, not overly muscled,but there was definitely some there, a body more suited to dodging and leaping around perhaps? Her hands moved up into his hair, gaining a small mewl of approval from him, but she was disappointed by the lack of ears, it would have been entertaining to see if he reacted to ear rubs, oh well. Looking into his eyes, they were blown wide in joy, seeing such cute cats eyes on him did wonders for her bravery, how could she be scared of someone who looked so dorky? His grin reminded her of his fangs and she gently tapped his chin.

“Could you open your mouth for me? “At his raised eyebrow she quickly elaborated. “I’m not being dirty I just want to see your teeth!”

She didn’t appreciate his chuckle, but he did eventually open his mouth for her. Her hands went to his cheeks as she inspected his new fangs, he seemed to have two sets, one at the top of his mouth one at the bottom, they looked incredibly sharp. She moved her hands away as he closed his mouth, she definitely didn’t want to end up on the wrong end of those.He rubbed his jaw as he grinned at her.

“So what does Lucy think of her new lion? Impressive right?”

This was good, normal, how it should be. She slipped easily into the banter, happy to be so relaxed around him again.

“I don’t know, you’re a lion sure, but aside from the mane, you’re not very feline like are you? Where’s the ears? Where’s the tail? I’m disappointed honestly” Like the big child he was, he pouted. Thankfully for him, his pout was so adorable, shame he didn’t do that often. “Aww come on Loke, you’d look cute”

He huffed, rolling his eyes in response as he crossed his arms. He really was a child, getting defensive over such a small comment. He looked her over before tilting his head slightly in question.

“Would you prefer I looked like that? Would it guarantee you stay unafraid of me?”

His eyes softened, showing his worry. She was going to do her best to not be scared of him anymore, Erza and the others had helped a lot with that, so..

“Oh, no Loke I was kidding. You don’t really need those things, I was teasing you. But it would be a lot harder to be frightened of someone who looked like an adorable kitty cat I suppose”

“Kitty cat? I’m a lion”

She couldn’t help but snort in response.

“Please Loke, to me, you will always be my sweet little kitty cat”

He growled at her, fangs bared as her comment stung his pride. Strange, Loke normally liked that nickname. Probably wise not to tease this beast. The look would have been intimidating if she didn't imagine him with ears pressed back and a floofed up tail waving wildly. She laughed. The sheer silliness of the idea filling her with mirth and knocking him off guard.

“Nevermind, the tail and ears is definitely the way to go!”

His mouth hung open in shock, unsure of how to respond, and she was once again drawn to his teeth. A familiar thought returning to her, subconsciously she muttered under her breath.

“What _would_ it be like to kiss you with those?”

He straightened up, a hand moving to adjust his tie, shock morphing into a small smirk on his lips. Oh stars, he had better hearing now didn’t he?

“You’re free to find out my lioness, just kiss me anytime”

There he was, any last remaining shreds of fear were destroyed by his flirting. This was definitely Loke. She was able to finally grasp that, as he cheekily winked at her. He leaned in close, invading her personal space, nose twitching as he focused on her.

“May I just say, this is going to sound a little strange, it’s coming from that voice inside me. I thought you smelled nice before, but right now, you smell divine”

“E-excuse me?”

Her flustering went ignored as strong arms wrapped around her stomach, holding her tight against his chest. His nose buried itself in her neck as he took a deep breath, a hum of approval vibrating through him.

“Yep, this proves it, improved senses rock. Lucy, to me, you’re currently somehow more addictive than catnip.”

If he noticed her floundering he didn’t mention it, instead she heard his soft muttering in her ear, before she felt his tongue softly lap at her neck. She bit her lip, keeping in a small cry, as she leaned into his ministrations. It felt like it had been forever since he had touched her. She caught his attention, looking straight into his narrowed cat eyes, focused solely on her. He licked his lips, tongue rubbing against a sharp tooth and leaned in. Was he going to kiss her? Or maybe even bite her? Oh stars she really was desperate wasn’t she? But at that moment she couldn’t bring herself to care. She shook in anticipation as he got closer...just a little more…

“Ahem, as nice as this is I don't really want to watch you two -”

A red faced Erza (a small part of her was sorry for embarrassing the other mage) laid her hand on Loke's shoulder as she spoke. His answering jump and loud hiss, drowning out the rest of her words, could only be described as animalistic, his grip on her tightening. His fingers dug slowly into her back as he glared and bared his fangs at Erza. There was nothing she could really do but slowly pat his arm as he calmed his breathing, reassuring that they were both ok.

“Right, lady Lucy we should really move onto the next step of taming this lion, don't you think?”

Shame welled up in her as she felt Capricorn's stare, in truth she had almost forgotten the goat spirit was there. She would have to make it up to him later. Especially since she was thankful of his ability to quickly move a topic along.

“Y-yeah. Loke let go, we have to test how you are in a fight. If you can still control this power well enough to defend yourself”

He reluctantly let her go, taking his sweet time to release her. Unamused, he crossed his arms.

“You know, i’m starting to feel like a lab rat”

She sympathised with him, her hand landing on his arm, catching his attention.

“Loke I won't let you be forced to do anything you don't want to do. You’re no lab rat to me.”

He sighed and uncrossed his arms, allowing one hand to hold hers.

“ I know, I want to do this, I just feel...a little frustrated”

Oh, right, yeah. Her imagination decided to take that unfortunate moment to run wild with images of the ravishing she had missed out on, leaving her sharing his upset feelings towards their friends, among other things. His nose twitched again as he let out a low groan.

“Lucy I think we need a small break. I..I can smell how happy you are to see me. It's driving my primal instincts berserk and I can't... I’m sorry.”

She shook her head, not really all that upset if she was going to be honest with herself.

“It’s ok Loke, truly it’s fine. After this is all over and you’re fully yourself again, maybe we could try it? It might be fun to experiment”

“...Maybe?”

He seemed unsure, not willing to trust himself in such an intimate act just yet. So she let that topic die for now, though deep down, as unhealthy as that may have been, she would have let him go all the way with her while feral. She ignored Erza's roll of her eyes as she brought a hand to Lucy's back steering her away.

“Let's go get the others, by now they should have found a suitable enough job for us to test this on.”

“I'm not practicing with you guys?”

His question, a rightful one, gave her pause.

“That won't affect you emotionally. The issue is that when we're in danger you get angry and strike out. The only way to recreate that scenario... unfortunately is to put us all back in danger by taking a job.”

“I guess that makes sense. But I won’t know my power or how to handle it.”

She didn't have the heart to remind him that lack of knowledge hadn't stopped him last time. Thankfully, Capricorn stepped in.

“ You’re overthinking things. Nature finds a way, the lion inside you will guide you. Don't think, just let it happen.”

“I still think I should practice this.”

She sent him a small smile, she didn't envy him at all.

“You can't practice fighting an enemy out to hurt me by fighting our friends. No matter how much you guys claim you don't, you hold back against each other. There is no intention of killing or gravely injuring each other. That is a large difference that, in your current state, you will pick up on.”

“Miss Lucy is correct old friend, everything you need is already inside you. This is just about comfortably letting it out and controlling it.”

“Agreed, besides if you do go wild, I can always step in”

The encouraging smile on the required mage was offset by the chills shot down her spine, and Loke's too if the shiver was anything to go by. Resigned, he gave Lucy a quick hug before walking to Capricorn.

“Ok you two rest up. Loke, when I next summon you, be ready for a fight”

“Don’t worry Lucy I will be in tip top shape. Ready to protect and serve you. Maybe giving a kiss or two while i’m at it”

The attempt at flirting may have been a little awkward, but it was worth it to take another small step to normality.

“Well a princess does give her knight a kiss if he does a good job...so there might be a reward waiting for you at the end of this.”

His face brightened, round eyes gleaming. He was about to reply when they were interrupted by a resigned voice.

“Alright Lucy, we don't have all evening”

“Sorry Erza, I’m coming now”

Despite her words, she was grinning as she closed their gates, waving to them as they disappeared.

“Finally, you two really need to focus on what's important”

Affronted, she felt the need to defend herself as they made the walk back.

“Excuse me I am focusing on the important things!”

“I don't count learning how to flirt again as important Lucy”

Mortified, her brain couldn't come up with a comeback. So she stomped ahead, thoroughly ignoring Erza's chuckles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this has one chapter left before it gets wrapped up. I do have an idea for a oneshot in this au I want to write, but after that feline Loke will be over, wow that's something.


	9. The lion at peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Loke finally use his newfound powers in a full on fight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn't want to be written, I swear I had to rewrite the fight scene several times, i'm still not entirely pleased with it but here you go.

They had found a job a quick trains ride away from Magnolia, though not quick enough if you asked Natsu and Wendy. A gang of thugs were terrorising a small town, trying to assert their dominance and control, while hoping  the council and local guilds would ignore such a small time place. Maybe if Fairytail was a snobbier guild they would have, but little to no pay has never stopped them helping out before, it wouldn’t now. Her pride in her guild and friends swelled up in her chest as they stepped off the train. She was glad for these little reminders of why she joined them, one of the best choices she had ever made, they were nothing like the uppity elite she had grown up with. By every star in the sky she was thankful for that.

It didn't take long before they were spotted, a ragtag gang like theirs was admittedly hard to miss, the thugs lined up in the middle of the street, blocking their path. A tall lanky, man, leather jacket and ripped jeans screaming 'I'm trying to look tough', stepped forward, cocky grin on his stupid face.

“You guys are looking a little lost aren't you?”

Never one to back down from a challenge, Natsu stepped up to face him down.

“Nah we’re never lost, we’re here to put you in your place.”

A snort followed by a round of laughter from the thugs, what was their name again? Something stupid like Crimson Skull maybe? It would explain the design on their shirts anyway.

“Only weak idiots would be desperate enough for cash to try to bail this place out, think you can take us on?”

She heard the swish as Erza’s sword left it’s sheath, pointing at them in challenge.

“If you truly think that, then get ready to be proven sorely wrong”

“Aw no Erza, let them have their stupid ideas” She shared a look with Wendy, the small girl stepping back to start up her magic, as Gray moved up to Natsu. Ice already starting to form in his hand “Bet I can knock down more than you can, flamebrain”

“You’re on ice drool”

“That was one time!”

They argued as they charged, Wendy releasing her supportive magic with loud yells of ‘Vernier’ and ‘Arms’, apparently deeming a defense boost unnecessary, nevertheless she still felt encouraged by the magic flowing around her, strengthening her. Wendy then ran to catch up with Erza, who was already challenging an opposing swordsman, the clang of metal on metal ringing through the air. Ok, her turn, she picked out her opponent and flicked her whip forward, catching him off guard as it wrapped around his left arm, disabbelling it. He looked stunned as she pulled her whip taunt, pulling him to her. Frustratingly he dug his heels in, she cursed under his breath as he pulled against her, right hand coming up to send a shockwave out at her feet, nearly knocking her off balance.A victorious grin spread across her foes face.

“You should have tied up both my hands, your stupid weapons magic won’t save you from my next blast.”

She couldn’t help her grin, even as purple magic swarmed onto his hand, glowing brighter and brighter as it stored up energy.

“Maybe if weapon magic was my thing you would be right”

“But thankfully, for the both of us, it’s not”

The man yelped as he suddenly surged forward, a powerful kick in the middle of his back knocking him flat onto his face. Her whip went slack as she returned it to her hip, no longer needing it around the unconscious man’s arm. She shot a wink to her helper, an amused Loke.

“You would think he would have heard of a distraction before right?”

“Honestly Lucy, I’m not sure there's much between these guys ears. I’m impressed they remember their names nevermind actual tactics. Though speaking of, i’m going to have to politely ask you to stop playing bait, you’re going to give me a heart attack”

“I’ll stop playing the dumb blonde card when it stops working Loke, the surprise on their face is worth it everytime. But fine-” She grabbed her whip, cracking it through the air. “-Let’s show them what teamwork and training can do”

“After you princess, I do so love to watch a woman at play. Especially when she knows how to properly use a whip”

His not so subtle wink was answered with a roll of her eyes, she turned away from him, facing the chaotic fight in front of her.

“Think you can keep your eyes off me for long enough to help or are you a lost cause?”

“I can keep one eye on you, one eye on them, I’m very good at multitasking”

“Heh, we’ll see about that”

 

“Well that didn’t take long”

The pile of unconscious bodies laid unimpressively at their feet. All that talk had accounted to nothing, the morons had been little to no challenge at all. They stood, watching as Erza tied them all up together.

“Awww come on, how can I get fired up if they fall from one hit?”

“Right? I'd rather be back at the guild enjoying a nice brawl”

A certain flying blue cat caught her eye as he hovered over to Gray's shoulder. Oh no. A smirking Happy was never a good sign, especially when teamed up with terrible influence number one, Loke.

“I don't think that's what you meant to say Gray.”

“You're right Happy, I think he means ‘enjoying a nice date with Juvia’. How romantic.”

“...Friends aren't supposed to betray each other this way you know. Keep this up and I'll show you what happens to a cat when its frozen”

As their banter got louder she couldn't stop shaking her head, what was wrong with the boys in her life? She heard a noise, like a small voice, but before she could turn to find it, Erza slug an arm around her shoulder.

“Let them get rowdy, we've done a good job today”

“Um Lucy, shouldn't we have-”

“Right, the village is safe and no-one was hurt, it went really smoothly, considering its us”

“Actually we didn't-”

“Yep, let's celebra-”

“WENDY IS TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING! YOU ANIMALS!!”

She felt her heart stop as she jumped and spun around, face to face with an angry, white exceed. Carla had some lungs on her considering her size.

“Sorry Wendy, I couldn't hear you over the racket. What's the problem?”

“Loke never went feral. Wasn't this meant to be a test?”

You could hear a pin drop in the following silence as, all at once, they all remembered the second reason they were there. Then just as the stupefied calm came, it left, leaving only frustration in its wake. Well there went that happy feeling.

“Shi- I got caught up in everything and forgot. How could I forget? He’s only my husband and one of my spirits, no big deal”

She felt a small pat on her arm as Wendy gave her a small smile.

“It’s ok, we all got caught up in what was actually an easy fight for once. .We haven’t relaxed this much on a job in so long”

There was a groan from the pile about relaxing, but it went ignored over Natsu’s response,

“Yeah, it’s been so long since I haven’t had to worry about dying...maybe that’s why there was no real fire in this fight”

“Just blame Loke for getting so distracted by your short skirt he forgot about it”

“What?! I-”

“Payback buddy, payback”

She locked gazes with Loke, immediately disheartened to see him looking so panicked. Really now, teasing him while he was vulnerable was so mean. She would have to put a little hot sauce in Gray’s next meal.

“Lucy, I promise I didn’t forget on purpose, it was just...it was like I blinked and the fight was over, no real time to do anything”

“...It’s fine, we’ll just try again next time, maybe with a more challenging mission”

But it wasn’t enough, despite her encouraging, he still seemed defensive. Did he feel like he had to explain himself? They had all forgotten to step back and let him take over, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“It’s not easy you know? I have to concentrate to pull out my full magic, I have to be in the right mindset, like all that meditation showed me. The only time I was able to instantly switch was when you were...And well, let’s face it, those guys weren’t exactly threate-”

He was cut off as the ground suddenly rumbled beneath them. Cracks appeared in the floor near them before huge spike of rocks shot up from underneath, headed in a line straight for them. She rolled to the side, Erza and Wendy at her side, as she looked up at their new adversary. He was wearing the crimson getup, so he was one of them, But she hadn’t spotted him earlier during the line up. She was quickly pulled to her feet by an armoured hand as he slammed his own against the ground, causing rocks to fly up and launch themselves at the group. The fast, sharp projectiles might not be able to pierce Erza’s armour, but it would definitely do a number on her skin. She sent a small nod of appreciation toward her friends fast thinking, before silently cursing to herself. Where had this guy come from? Was he some sort of secret weapon? Were there more members hiding somewhere? She ducked out of the way of a rock aiming for her head, as Natsu charged forward, smashing them away with fiery fists.

“Were you hiding? I’ll show you what Fairytail does to cowards who abandon their friends”

As he got even closer, laughter filled the air, even amongst the chaos, she caught Loke flinch.

“A coward? No I was just getting this from our base!”

He showed off his right arm, revealing a golden bracelet. It was long, covering his wrist and part of his lower arm, it looked to be intricately decorated, though she couldn’t really admire the design with gravel in her face. The only thing about it that caught her eye was the round orb in the middle, glowing a dark brown and pulsing violently. What in the-?

“You need some fancy jewellery to fight?”

“No! But it does allow me to do this!”

He shot out his hands, magic thundering from his fingertips down into the ground, tearing it up from out under Natsu’s feet, forcing him to run back, putting space back between the two as the chasm chased him. Happy flew in and grabbed his back, pulling him up into the sky as it finally caught up to him, thankfully preventing it from swallowing him up.

“Ok, maybe don’t stay too close to him”

“Aye sir, we’ll stay in the air”

Those on the ground  all moved a little closer together, not wanting to get caught, but also wanting to help out if someone else did. Erza turned to Wendy and Carla, a determined look on her face.

“Carla take Wendy into the air”

“You don’t need to tell me twice Erza”

“But-”

“Wendy, we may need your help if one of use gets pulled into one of those holes. But Natsu can actually be useful for a change and help us there.” The small jab actually got Wendy to giggle,thankfully relaxing her. “I want you to check on the townspeople, there may be people trapped in their homes. Their safety is a priority and only you can heal them if they are injured”

She couldn't blame Wendy for seeming reluctant to leave, but Erza had a point. You couldn’t tear up this much ground without causing knock on effects, homes were partially destroyed or sliding into the ground, people needed to be evacuated. So it was with a quick nod that Wendy allowed Carla to lift her up and hopefully out of danger.

“I’ll be back soon ok?!”

“Ok Wendy”

It was with a wave that she watched them shoot off, before a shiver down her back told her of an incoming projectile, she was about to move when suddenly someone pushed down on her shoulders, forcing her down with them.

“I really appreciate your kindness, it’s one of your many amazing traits, but could you focus please?”

She was surprised by her lions voice, how gruff and agitated he sounded. He was starting to get worked up, well he wanted someone more threatening and he had gotten it. Though she didn’t like the implication that she wasn’t careful.

“I was fine, I was about to move”

A snort was his only answer as a wall of ice shot up before them, taking blow after blow from the rocks, small cracks forming where it was starting to weaken. Gray and Era dropped down beside them.

“Ok that should give us a moment, what’s the plan?”

Well it was obviously get the bracelet, it was clearly powering up this jerks innate Earth magic, making it stupidly strong. She could hear Erza and Gray going over potential ideas, dismissing some ideas while trying to mix others. The issue was that they didn’t know the full extent of this guys powers, which seemed to be growing in strength the longer the fight went on. There was a rumble as the ice shook, she spotted something moving close by in the ground. Was he up to something? There wasn’t time for a discussion, but going in wildly could cause them all to fall. What could she- oh! It was crazy, Loke was going to scold her afterwards, but her own plan formed in her mind. There was one clear way to distract this guy while also maybe finding out some information on his limitations. Besides, she really wasn’t liking the way the ground was slightly shaking around them, like something was waiting to pounce out at them She needed to move, now. She took a deep breath as ice shards began to fall, catching her spirit’s attention.

“Lucy? What are you-”

He was cut off by the crashing wall of ice, and her bounding up before the others could react. She ran forward, pulling out her whip and smashing the smaller rocks as they came at her. She may go down while playing the distraction, but she wasn’t going to make this easy for him. She actually managed to cover half the distance, pulling her whip back to try and get a hit in, when, just before it hit, a wall of rock appeared at his side. So he could defend himself, good to know. Erza was probably already thinking up ways to destroy it. She tried to charge forward again when a large spike of earth shot out of the ground in front of her. She heard yells of her name as she stumbled back, right into a second spike. Two more shot up at her sides, catching her legs and cutting them, she let out a yell as her knees crumbled slightly, forcing her to bend down, but she wasn’t on the ground yet.

“You nuisances will die one by one, then i’ll be in charge! We’re going to be running this town my way!”

The ground rumbled under her feet and her heart dropped in sudden fear. He was going to impale her! Had that been what those rumbles were? Had he been trying to cut them all? Was he insane? Or just desperate? She couldn’t bring herself to breathe, nevermind think properly, her mind a loud buzz of frantic thoughts, as his hand slowly raised to summon the last spike. But before the magic could take hold a loud roar filled the streets. A large beam of light, shaped like a lion, raced past her, forcing him to drop his magic to dodge out of the way, leaping to the ground moments before impact. In the next moment there was a crash on her right as the stone spike crumbled, revealing a snarling, pissed off Loke. His claws dug into the two spikes beside him as he leaned forward, fangs bared as he came inches to her face.

“I told you to stop playing bait!”

The guttural fury in his voice did nothing to hide the worry in his feline eyes. Movement caught her eye and she saw...a tail?! He had a lions tail, swishing behind him madly. She immediately looked up and yup, in that incredibly messy mane that now went down past his ears, were two cat ears, pressed down against his head. She was right...this really did make it hard to take him seriously. The intense relief and calm she now felt at seeing her lion could almost make her laugh, if she wasn’t so close to crying.

“You actually only politely asked me to. I told you i’d stop when it stopped working” She braved a quick rub of his new ears, finding an evil joy in his responding huff. “Besides, when have we ever properly planned anything out? We definitely didn’t plan anything about this attack out well, you probably should have changed on the train.”

He growled at her as he picked her up bridal style and leapt back, dodging an incoming line of spiked rock. _Well someone's found a new trick_. He ran back to where they had been, hiding her down behind some rubble. As he laid her down he noticed the long cut along the side of her leg and actually hissed. It should not have made her shudder the way it did.

“Lioness you stay here”

“But-”

“Stay! Stay here, i’ll deal with him, then you later”

“...I didn’t plan on getting hurt Loke, I wanted to help you all out, to back you up. I was going to pull back or fake fall or do something when I felt i had gotten enough information about him. I wasn’t expecting him to be crazy enough to kill.”

His glare lessened as he kneeled down, but she could tell he was still upset with her.

“That doesn’t matter, what matters is you’re bleeding. It was foolish, We just needed another moment to work out-”

“When? When could you have done that? He wasn’t going to let you guys talk it out and we both know that, look around you!”

She held her arms up, Gray was currently making ice pillars to stave off the onslaught, freezing the ground that opened up. But he was getting tired, he wouldn't last. Erza was the same, deflecting rocks constantly wasn’t fun and it was wearing her down, preventing her from advancing. She was starting to wonder if any plan would have actually worked, if he was able to create so much chaos at once. What they needed was something more unpredictable, they may hate the cause of it all they want, but that something unpredictable was right in front of her. He snarled, annoyed that he couldn’t fire back with a retort.

“Whatever, let me deal with this. I’ll be back in a minute”

He stood up, back turned to her to prevent any more arguing. She watched him slowly stepping forward, feeling annoyingly helpless, and hoped he had some sort of idea of what to do.

 

It was so hard to walk away from her, a part of him was crying out to tend to her wounds, to look after and care for her. But that had to come later, right now he needed to focus, to move his thoughts away from the memory of her getting slashed, the scent of her blood driving his most primal instincts. To tell the truth, he barely remembered how he saved Lucy, but he was in control now, so it was already an improvement over last time. He looked over the fight, allowing himself a second to hear and see everything going on, to orient himself. Erza and Gray were slowly making ground, but with how much magic they were using, they wouldn’t be facing this guy at full strength. Hang on, how did this guy have so much magical energy anyway?

“Now that i’m in charge I need a new name. Something cool like The Rock King. No wait, how about The Land shark! Yeah that one's much cooler”

Again how did he get any kind of threatening power?

_Annoying, slash him._

For once he agreed, this so called kings voice was grating his ears. He  leaned forward as he broke into a run. Magic and adrenaline pumped through his legs, almost catching him off guard with how much faster he ran. He fought the urge to start running on all four, even if that may have technically given him more of an advantage, it would be embarrassing to let Lucy see him like that. Amazingly he could feel every little vibration under his feet, he could tell when the ground was about to open up or rise up to block him. Letting his senses guide him, he made his way through the destroyed street. There were so many holes and broken homes, he hoped the villagers got those crimson idiots, and rock candy king here, to help fix it.

_Our revenge first!_

A small growl escaped him as power flowed through his hands, smashing the larger rocks that came his way, easily dodging the smaller ones. He had been noticed, his progress slowed by an onslaught of earth. Anger boiled up inside him, this would not stop him! The growl turned into a snarl as he pushed himself forward, taking slow step after slow step, he would make it. In desperation his foe, _our prey,_ quickly raised the ground up under some rubble, sending bits of a home flying towards him. He stood, paralysed in shock and fear as they sped closer. He closed his eyes, waiting for the hit...that never came. He opened his eyes to a crystal clear barrier, and let out the breath he had been holding. He felt two familiar presences behind him, coming to back him up.

“I can’t keep doing that you know buddy”

“We need a plan, we’re so close!”

His eyes scanned the battlefield, looking for anything to help, when he noticed Happy flying and dodging some rogue pebbles. An idea sprung to mind and he felt a smug grin sprawl onto his face. He was going to lead his pride to victory! A small whistle rang out in the air and Happy shot down.

“Natsu, we’re swapping places. The moment this ice wall goes down I want all of you to attack at once and provide covering fire. Happy get me up in the air!”

“Wouldn’t it be easier if I kept a hold of Natsu and he-”

“He’s mine!”

He hadn’t meant to snap, but this bastard was his, his pride should know that.

“Happy, just do as he says, this might work, we should give it a shot”

Good old Erza, for a second in command she was really useful for calming everyone down. He could definitely rely on her. As requested, Happy moved to his back, ready to take off with him in tow. On a mental count of three,  Gray forcefully tore down his wall, before calling on his ice arrows, sending a barrage forward to their target. At the same time Erza and Natsu jumped out from the left and right, Natsu calling on his Fire dragon Breath, while Erza charged in with her sword. He was forced to forgo his attacks, surrounding himself in a circular wall of stone, that he had to focus on constantly rebuilding lest any of the onslaught broke in. Perfect, the idiot didn’t notice him and Happy up above, though he supposed it would take a skilled mage to hold off Fairytail and this guy, despite his massive power boost, was not skilled. A quick nod to Happy was all it took and he was free falling. For a blissful moment he was at peace, finding something strangely soothing in pouncing on an unsuspecting foe. Then he snapped into focus, landing on Mr ‘Six feet under’ claws first. The surprise caused his rock guard to tumble, causing them to roll with the force of the tackle. Unfortunately the momentum led him to landing on the ground underneath his foe. Earth rose up to encase his feet but wasn’t quick enough to trap his hands.Magic flowed to his hands as he called upon Regulus’s power, lashing out at face, eyes, whatever her could with glowing claws. A tiny part of him was embarrassed for how animalistic he was behaving, but a much larger part was smug and victorious when he felt the weight leave his stomach. His prey rolled back onto his feet as he slashed at the rock holding him down, eventually breaking it and allowing him to stand.

“Do you actually have a name by the way, I’m getting tired of calling you prey in my head”

The idiot flinched, did he not know what he was?

“I’ve decided on-

“No! No nicknames, actual name please”

“...It’s Agate, can we get back to fighting now?”

Agate? Well with a name like that the magic makes sense. But isn’t that much cooler than a nickname? He took a second to mourn for his poor parents before pushing forward, getting in close to try and hit him. Agate, seriously why didn’t he stick with that?, wasn’t that well off in close quarters, his magic was powerful, but at this range he could hit himself. Lions on the other hand, fought best face to face, and no matter how quickly he tried to put space between them, Loke was there, ready to try and land a punch. He backed him up against a wall, having finally instilled some fear into his opponent.

“Hand over the bracelet, you’ve lost”

“Never!”

In an act if defiance, or desperation, spikes started to randomly shoot out of the ground, away enough from them to not be a threat… to them. His friends weren’t so lucky, having to back off and scramble around to avoid getting pierced. As they moved away, a cold feeling swept over him as he realised Lucy couldn’t get away. A feral growl escaped his lips, this needed to end now. He leapt forward, catching Agate off guard. His glowing claws wrapped around his arm.

_Bleed him, cut him, teach him a lesson._

His magic scratched down his skin, leaving large, bleeding cuts, before his fingers hooked under the bracelet, pulling it off. The earth stopped shaking, the large pillars and spikes crumbling back into the ground, covering up some of the damage. Agate fell to his knees, holding his arm and cursing from the pain, but he wasn’t really paying attention. He turned to face where he had left her, more than a little panicked.

“Lucy! Are you ok?!”

His ears pricked atop his head, desperate to hear anything from her, but the world was still, besides the constant string of curses. A moment of intense sorrow as his heart plunged, before his eyes finally caught movement. First he saw Wendy, slowly moving out from behind the rubble and then there she was. Lucy had her arm slung around the smaller girl’s shoulders, limping slightly, but her leg did look a little cleaner. A breath he didn’t know he was holding shot out of him as he started to run, chucking the bracelet to Erza, leaving her to pull Agate up and keep him from doing anything stupid.

“LUCY!”

His tail swung wildly as joy burst up in his chest. He was about to jump on her when in the nick of time he remembered her limp, he managed to reign himself in, stopping just short of bumping into them, beaming down at her.

“You’re safe!”

“Yeah, Wendy found me and was healing up my wounds before we got attacked by that jerks magic. She and Carla got me out of the way though.”

A large surge of platonic affection for her overtook him as he gently nuzzled the top of Wendy’s head, before pulling back, leaving a hand on her shoulder.

“Thank you little dragon, that was a very brave thing you did”

_Reward her later._

Right, now what said ‘Thank you for saving my love’ adequately enough? He heard Lucy giggling at Wendy’s flush, oh had he gone too far? Holding back feline affection wasn’t easy for him. Though speaking of his princess. His arms crossed as he did his best to look upset at her.

“I’m still not happy with what you did, you could have been seriously hurt...or worse.”

“...I’m sorry, that was stupid of me, though it was better than you all getting run through by rock.”

A half apology, but that was probably the best he was going to get from her, still it was better than nothing, with a loud sigh, he let all the anger flow from him, his smile returning.

“Fine, i’ll just have to keep a much closer watch on you from now on.”

He took Lucy’s other arm, putting it around his shoulder, allowing Wendy to release her. His love wasn’t heavy, still the poor girl looked shattered enough. His tail found it’s way around her waist, pulling a small chuckle from her.

“How in the world…?”

“A small conversation with the Spirit King. I’ll only have these when drawing on my lion power though”

“I can live with that, don’t need you listening in on me all the time”

He was about to counter when her hand when to his ears again. That infernal scratching, it felt so good but broke his brain, he couldn’t think through the haze of pleasure, but why would he want to?

“At least I can do this now”

He snorted, shaking his head free of her.

“Oh come here you”

He held her close, gently pulling her in, her tail snug on her hips, not letting go anytime soon. He wouldn’t let go of her ever. She always felt like home to him, everything from her touch to her unique smell soothed him. Finally, everything felt perfect. Just as he relaxed into her he was startled by her shaking. He pulled back slightly to look at her, surprised by her tears, falling swiftly down her cheeks as she laughed.

“Oh Loke, my sweet, sweet Loke. When was the last time you purred? I didn’t realise how much I missed it until now.”

It caught him off guard, to hear the sound suddenly reach his ears, but it didn’t stop. He was in Lucy’s arms how could it? In fact,in acknowledging his purr, it just got louder, sending strong vibrations through them both. He joined in her laughter, thrilled to once again be at peace, with himself and the world around him, holding his whole world tightly against his chest.

 

 

It had been a long road but he had finally arrived here, fully himself once more, surrounded by those he called friends and family. Hate may have been the emotion to fully bring himself out, but it was love that helped him understand and accept it. He was Leo and Loke, he was a spirit and he was a lion. He could be calm and suave, a perfect gentleman, but also highly emotional and aggressive, like an angry feline. There was no need to separate them. Both were him. All of this was who he was.

And he was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for coming on this journey with me, this was definitely a learning experience, having to write scenes I have never even thought about before. But I think overall I'm happy with this story.  
> Now I guess its back to writing oneshot and AUs, I have a few ideas i want to run past people before I make them their own stories.

**Author's Note:**

> And welcome to my first real attempt at an angst/comfort fic. This should be a real learning curve for me I think. This story was stuck in my mind and I really wanted to write it, so thank you for reading.


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